Sibling Rivalry
by Mokibobolink
Summary: Tony & McGee have been fighting for weeks and finally Gibbs has enough. Sending them off on an assignment together seems like a good idea until they both go missing. Now they'll have to work it out to survive. Hurt!Tony/Hurt!McGee/PapaGibbs - Not Slash
1. Chapter 1

_Hey folks!_

_As promised here is my latest fic. This one will center on Tony and McGee and will have some whumpage for both of them along with a nice helping of PapaGibbs. _

_This story is nowhere near finished and I'm actually going to let you guys sort of decide how long it will ultimately end up. If a lot of people like this story and want me to continue then I'll flesh it out a lot. If not, then I'll probably run through it faster and move on to my next Tony & Gibbs story. _

_-Moki_

_000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000_

_._

Chapter One

_Today was the day that the elevator finally got its sweet revenge._

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"C'mon Timmy, don't you dare die on me!!"

Tony hollered desperately to the prone figure before him, pumping urgently on the unmoving chest. He blew another quick breath into the open mouth and, checking for a pulse, continued compressions.

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon!" The Senior Field Agent chanted in time with his moving arms, his face a mask of worry.

After another minute of fighting, Tony sat back on his heels. Panting slightly from his efforts, he wiped his forehead with the back of his hand.

"No Timmy, you can't. Please don't do this to me…" he begged in a whisper.

There was nothing but silence for a few moments. Then….

"DiNozzo, do you _have_ to keep calling that thing Timmy?"

The voice came suddenly from behind and the agent turned to the speaker with a smirk.

"What's the matter, Probie?"

"Well for one thing it's a CPR dummy…"

The Senior Field Agent's face broke into a wide grin, ready to jump in and explain exactly why that made his choice of nickname even more appropriate. Interpreting the look, McGee continued quickly before the other man got the chance to say one more word.

"..and for another she has breasts and her name, Annie, is written right there on her sweater."

Tony merely raised his eyebrows a couple times in response. Then, jumping lithely to his feet, he turned to his instructor who'd been standing by patiently with a clipboard.

"Well Ducky, whattya think? Do I pass?"

"Yes Anthony you pass, now please leave our fair Annie be so that McGee can take his test." The ME replied with a fond chuckle for Tony's antics, flapping his hands as if to chase the younger man away.

Tony stepped back, bowing grandly to let McGee through. "By all means, McGoo. She's all yours."

Rolling his eyes and shaking his head, McGee knelt down beside the doll. He knew he should have waited to schedule his CPR re-certification at another time. Once he found out that Tony's test was right before his, he'd nearly changed it but hadn't had any other time available in his schedule.

Now he was sorry he hadn't. Tim was sure Tony was going to stick around just to torture him.

"C'mon Probie, don't worry. It's not a real woman. She won't scream if you touch her." Tony said from the door as he put on his jacket.

McGee realized that he'd been sitting there unmoving for too long and mentally cursed himself for giving the other man yet another opening. Momentarily distracted, he tried to ignore the Italian eyeing him from the entrance to autopsy and went to work on the doll.

"C'mon McStiff, you gotta put your arms into it," Tony said after a while, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and watching intently.

This time Tim completely ignored the comments and continued working, counting out compressions and timing his breaths carefully.

Once he saw McGee was fully concentrating on the task at hand, Tony nodded to himself satisfyingly and walked out the door. He pressed the call button for the elevator, idly tapping a foot and humming as he waited for it to arrive.

Teasing the younger man had been too good to resist but there had been a purpose behind it as well. Their job wasn't often kind enough to let them work without distractions. The more he messed with the Probie while they were in the safety and comfort in the office, the more he was preparing the younger man for being in the field. Tony took the training of his junior team members very seriously, despite all outward evidence to the contrary.

Tony remembered far too well the last time he'd had to perform CPR. It hadn't been under the easiest conditions. In point of fact they'd been some of the hardest conditions he'd ever dealt with in his life while trying to breathe for someone else. For one, it hadn't just been one other person, it had been two. For another he'd had to dive into that cold water not once, but twice, to get those people. And finally he'd had to go back and forth between each one of the unmoving bodies, trying to figure out which one to give up on first.

It still made his stomach clench whenever he remembered that awful moment. The one when he had to stop doing CPR on Gibbs in order to start on Maddie. Tony sincerely hoped that McGee never had to do something that hard but if it happened he wanted the other man to be as prepared as possible.

So if teasing McGee relentlessly before he had to give CPR to a dummy…enough so that it drove him a little nuts and made the other man want to kill him…? Well, that would be well worth the price if McGee ended up saving a life someday because of it.

-----

Passing his re-cert with flying colors, McGee headed back up to his desk. They were in between cases at the moment but Gibbs had him doing upgrades on all their computer systems and he needed to check on them constantly. As he rounded the corner from the elevator to the bullpen, McGee saw Tony leaning back in his chair and talking on his cell phone.

Rolling his eyes at Tony again, the junior agent sat down at Gibbs' empty desk and checked on the various programs he had running. No matter how many times he reminded the man, the Boss always forgot to defrag his computer. So before anything else, McGee had started running that process earlier in the day. Seeing that the hard drive was in much better shape, he pulled up some menus and got started on updating other programs.

So engrossed in his work, the younger agent didn't notice the shadow standing above him for at least a few seconds. Thinking that Gibbs had returned and wanted his desk, he jumped involuntarily.

"Sorry Boss," McGee said nervously, standing up and nearly knocking the chair over in his haste to vacate the premises.

"Oh I do so love it when you call me Boss."

McGee looked behind him and found, not his boss, but one very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo grinning at him like an idiot. Mad at himself for letting the other man get to him a second time in an hour, McGee snatched the chair back from where it had rolled into the file cabinets.

"Dammit Tony, leave me alone. Can't you see I'm busy here? I realize _you _have nothing to do but some of us are actually working today."

"Au contraire mon fraire, I am busy. Very busy, in fact." Tony said smugly.

"Oh yeah?" McGee replied, sitting back down and not taking his eyes off the screen where he was busily typing in commands. "Doing what?"

"Well since our illustrious team leader is in MTAC talking to the Director, I am busy being team leader at the moment."

McGee rolled his eyes. "Team leader? You're busy being team leader? That's great Tony except that means that you're not doing anything at all."

"Is that really what you think a team leader does McGee?"

The new voice was cold and hard and there was absolutely no doubt to whom it belonged. Groaning silently at the timing of that last comment, McGee looked up into a pair of steely blue eyes staring down at him from across the desk.

"Boss…..I didn't mean it that way. Of course a team leader works. But Tony….," before he could say another word Gibbs twitched his thumb over his shoulder. Taking that at a tacit dismissal, McGee jumped up and went to sit at his own desk.

Shaking his head at once again putting his foot in his mouth in front of Gibbs, McGee looked up to find Tony smiling at him from his own desk. He hadn't even seen the other man move and wondered once again just how much Tony had learned from the ex-sniper on the art of sneaking up on people. The two of them together could move so quietly, it was crazy. Add Ziva to that mix and it was downright creepy.

Gibbs took a sip from his coffee and setting it down, looked across at his two agents. He'd given Ziva the week off to go to Tel Aviv and he was beginning to wonder if that had been the best of ideas. It hadn't missed his attention that the two men were beginning to drive each other a little crazy without the Mossad agent there to act as a buffer between them.

Hoping that it was just the lack of cases and a bit of "cabin fever" affecting them all, Gibbs went back to ignoring his two agents and catching up on some very dreaded paperwork. With a sigh, he picked up the first folder on his desk, pulled out his pen and got to work.

-------------

Later that night Gibbs wished he was still doing paperwork. Anything would be better than the situation in which he currently found himself. Before he could ruminate further though, a voice interrupted his thoughts and he was brought back the present.

A very annoying present…..

"How is this _my_ fault?" McGee asked the question in obvious frustration. He looked at DiNozzo with indignation, his mouth agape.

"It just is, Probie. _You_ were the one who pressed the button. Therefore it's _your_ fault we got stuck."

Tony leaned his head back against the elevator wall, closing his eyes as if that were the end of the conversation.

"That makes no sense, Tony. By that logic then it's just as equally _your_ fault because we should have been going down to Garage Level 2 first. But _you_ wanted to get to your car on Garage Level 4 first. Maybe if we'd gone down to my floor first, we wouldn't have been stuck," McGee defended.

"That makes no sense whatsoever, McStucky."

Gibbs sat between his two agents, doing his best to ignore them completely. He chose not to dole out any head slaps for the current conversation. Firstly because he'd already smacked both of them more than he usually did in a week. Secondly, according to the shouted reports from the fire department, the crew didn't have high hopes for getting them out for at least another hour. So letting the two agents vent their frustrations on each other was about all he could do for them.

There was a third reason though.

Gibbs didn't want to think about it. Every time he did his face worked itself into a scowl that sent his two junior agents scrambling to sit as far away from him as possible in the cramped elevator. Unfortunately with all three tall men sitting on the floor with their legs stretched out, there wasn't much space left for them to go.

The third reason (the one he was trying _not _to enter his brain right then) was that they all knew full well just who's fault it was. Using the elevator as your private office and hitting the "off" switch every time you wanted to talk to someone under the radar tended to have an adverse affect on the mechanism. Apparently the wires, braking system, cables, etc had all had just about enough of one Special Agent Gibbs messing with their buttons.

Today was the day that the elevator finally got its sweet revenge.

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_Well there ya go. The first chapter. Let me know what you think!_

_Also be sure to check out the link to my blog on my Profile page. I'm doing positive (yes, I said positive *gasp!*) reviews of tv shows, NCIS included. So check it out if you like and if you feel so inclined, leave a comment. I always love hearing from you guys! You're the best!_


	2. Chapter 2

_Hi folks!_

_Thanks so much for all the reviews and updates, etc. I'm so happy that y'all seem to want me to continue with this story. Sorry I didn't get a chance to reply to everyone personally but I've been working hard. I actually got my first real freelance assignment this week and I'm waiting for it to be edited now. _

_This chapter gave me some trouble but I think it works now. Hope y'all like it and since I didn't get it to my beta in time to post today, all mistakes are mine and mine alone. _

_And a very Happy Birthday to Michael Weatherly today! Without whom Tony wouldn't exist. _

Chapter Two

_No answer. _

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As he sat on the cold floor of the elevator, Gibbs could picture the elevator planning its attack. It had obviously been waiting all day for just the right moment.

It hadn't stopped earlier when he'd been chatting with Ducky on the way to Autopsy. It had glided along like a dream on his way up alone to see the Director. Not a squeak was heard when he'd been in there with Abby on the way to her lab. Nary a pause when he'd found himself riding two floors with the new redhead on Special Agent Jackson's team. Of course it figured that it would wait until he was stuck with DiNozzo and McGee.

The damn thing was laughing at him now. He was sure of it.

Gibbs had finished his paperwork and looking up to find that both his agents were still working away, he'd ordered them home and all three had ended up in the elevator at the same time.

The bickering between McGee and Tony had gone on most of the day and Gibbs hoped it would dissipate like it normally did. The tension between them would always build up, boil over and then build up again. They had a unique relationship. If Gibbs and Tony had a father-son relationship, then the two men on his team definitely played their roles of big brother and little brother.

DiNozzo teased and pushed McGee to his limit, toughening him up (even if the younger man didn't realize it). Tony seemed to enjoy having a sibling, it was something he'd never had as a child. McGee understandably didn't enjoy the treatment quite as much. Only having a younger sister all his life he was unused to the torment that an older brother could inflict upon him.

Gibbs wisely kept out of their way most of the time, knowing as any parent did that interfering would do nothing except make it worse. Whoever he dared to side with would be hurt and the other would feel it was his right to act worse than before. It was a lose, lose situation and Gibbs had no desire to get into it.

Only when things got really bad did the team leader occasionally say a quiet word to one or the other, not taking sides but making his own point of view very well known.

The older man realized that he shouldn't be all that surprised at the current situation between his two men. It had taken years but McGee had finally started to taunt DiNozzo back. Gibbs was sure that the younger man did it without realizing how his words cruelly cut into his partner sometimes. Immature Tony may be, but he was never cruel.

Unlike Tony, McGee hadn't yet learned how to control his barbs, striking out like a baby snake. Infant rattlers were well known to have a much worse bite than their adult counterparts. It wasn't because they had less venom. It was because they bit without any control, unleashing all their venom in one horribly fatal bite.

So McGee had become a baby rattler. Striking out at Tony whenever the older man annoyed him, his venom sometimes much more fierce than he intended. He didn't seem to realize that Tony's macho act was just that, an act. Under the well-built wall was a lot of pain and sometimes his baby brother's comments knocked down that wall with much more ease than either of them ever knew.

Gibbs had to wonder if it was because, on some level, McGee viewed Tony as the invincible older brother. Tony played the part well so he really couldn't blame the younger man for falling for it. Gibbs wasn't as gullible. McGee may think that Tony was indestructible but Gibbs knew better.

The team leader knew that he was really going to have to do something about those two. What that was he hadn't the foggiest idea at the moment. All Gibbs really wanted was to get out of the cold metal box they'd been stuck in for the better part of two hours, go home, take a shower and get some sleep.

With an awful lurch, the creak of metal and a whining protest, the elevator moved and within seconds the doors slid open with a gentle "bing". All three of them were on their feet at the first sign of motion and when the doors opened there was a scramble as all tried to exit at once. A glare from their leader sent the younger men back and Gibbs walked sedately out first.

Knowing that if he had to lay eyes on either of them again anytime soon it would mean certain death to one or both, Gibbs ignored both of his junior agents and walked to his car.

"Ah, fresh air," Tony said, taking in a deep breath and stretching his arms out.

"You're in a garage, genius. How can there be fresh air in here?" McGee replied testily.

"Jeesh, who died and made you McGrumpy? It's just a figure of speech," Tony replied, pulling his keys from his pocket.

McGee didn't reply, pulling out his own keys and getting in his car, wanting nothing more than to get away from the other man who'd been torturing him for the past two hours….actually it was more like the past few years.

Tony turned the key in his door and tossed his backpack inside. "See ya in the morning Pro…," but as he looked up, he was surprised to see the younger man's car pulling away already. Shrugging, the older man got in his car and drove off, yawning.

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As Tony walked in the next morning he saw that McGee's desk was empty. Glancing at his watch he felt a pang of worry. Not that the younger man was necessarily late but that was a loose term when working on Team Gibbs. If you got in after the boss, you were late, end of story. The look on the Gibbs' face didn't bode well for the Probie if he didn't get in soon.

Gibbs silently sipped his coffee, looking at his computer screen and continuing to ignore Tony as he had for the past fifteen minutes since the younger man had arrived.

Just before Tony was about to text McGee to get his butt in gear, the elevator doors opened and the younger man walked out.

"About time, McTardy," Tony said in a stage whisper, sliding his eyes over to the Boss nervously.

"What? I'm not late. It's barely oh seven hundred," McGee replied as he put down his things and secured his weapon in his desk.

"Well you're later than me and the boss so that makes you late."

At his desk, Gibbs put his coffee cup to his lips, completely forgetting for a moment that the cup was empty. When he realized that not only had he been staring at the same piece of data on his computer for the past five minutes, but he was now sipping an empty cup, he sighed.

Enough was enough.

"Tony, give me a break will ya? You know how many times you've been late? I really don't think you should…."

"Hey!"

Gibbs yell silenced McGee instantly and both men turned to look at him sheepishly.

"DiNozzo, take McGee and go search the original crime scene for the Ralston case."

Tony raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"But Boss, that's a cold case. An ice cold case. That one's so cold we should put on parkas before we even get out the….."

The Glare shut him up, and fast.

"On it, Boss," McGee answered for Tony. He didn't know what the Ralston case was but he was smart enough to realize that any more comments would not be appreciated.

As they walked out and the elevator doors closed behind them, Gibbs took the first relaxing breath he had all week.

For the next few minutes Gibbs tried to concentrate on his work but found it harder and harder as the younger men continued to stay on his mind. He hadn't just sent them out of the office to get them out of his hair. He was hoping that some time alone would help them work out whatever was happening with them. Gibbs just wasn't sure if they wouldn't kill each other first.

The experienced team leader had never had such a hard time with his "girls" as he had with his "boys". Abby, Kate, even Ziva were all (comparatively) easy to handle. The right word, a listening ear, a shoulder to cry on when things went badly, these were all he needed for them. Perhaps it was because he'd once had a smaller version of them, a little girl who looked up to him like only a daughter could.

Gibbs had never had a little boy running around the house but now that he had two men (who often acted like little boys), he often didn't know what to do with them. If he treated them like equals, they wouldn't get it, nor would it be wanted. He wasn't their equal. He was their leader and for all intents and purposes, their father when they were under the Navy Yard's various roofs. They looked up to him.

Having had no siblings of his own, Gibbs knew that was part of the problem. Sometimes he wondered if he was making the right decisions with them. Should he let them fight it out? Split them up? How could he make the two of them see that they needed each other? That deep down they really did care, even if sometimes all they wanted to do was strangle each other?

Gibbs' mind continued to ponder even as he pulled out various cold case files. He didn't bother with the Ralston file though. He'd never admit it but DiNozzo was right. That was an ice cold case. It was the reason Gibbs brought it up.

That and the fact that the original crime scene was a more than two hour drive away.

Gibbs finished another piece of paperwork, dropping in his "out" basket to be picked up by a courier later. Glancing at his watch he saw that it was already lunch time and got up to head to the cafeteria. As he ate, his men invaded his thoughts once again.

From his vantage point, Gibbs could see what they could not. Though he also knew it would do no good at all to try and explain it to either of them.

First of all McGee wasn't used to being a younger brother and didn't realize that's exactly how DiNozzo was treating him. He was used to being the one in charge, the big brother. McGee had always resented being treated like a kid from Tony and Kate and while he had put up with it at first, it was obvious he had grown tired of it.

Gibbs had stepped in once, after he'd come back from Mexico and caught McGee bristling at Tony's continued use of the term "Probie". When Gibbs had quietly pointed out to the younger man that he himself was still known as Probie to his first partner (and still dear friend), all had been well.

Things had gone along okay after that point but then everything changed. When Vance split up his team, sending McGee downstairs to the cyber unit, it changed the younger man. Gibbs saw it and he knew everyone else on his team did too, though they may not have figured out why. The younger agent had gotten a taste of leadership and respect down there that he hadn't gotten before.

As far as Gibbs could see, McGee now hated Tony's treatment of him. Gibbs had to fight hard his instinct to tell the younger man how he was. Gibbs didn't know why McGee couldn't see it, but in truth Tony's behavior showed just how much he cared for the younger man.

Tony hadn't had any brothers and sisters, had lost his mother way too young and had been outright ignored by his father. He was still learning about relationships and Gibbs had seen how he had immediately taken a liking to McGee. Being unable to express that very well, the Italian had turned to the hazing and teasing he had learned in college. It was the only thing he new how to do to show his affection for the younger man.

When Tony dealt with other Probies on TAD with their group, he barely gave them the time of day. If Tony was busy with a case he'd simply be polite and move on with what he was doing, not sparing them much more than a glance. It was only when he wasn't busy or perhaps a bit bored that he chose to torture them for his own amusement.

Unfortunately McGee saw that exactly the wrong way. He saw Tony being "nice" and "polite" with the other Probies. The younger man didn't realize that it was Tony's way of basically showing them how little they mattered to him. The fact that he took the time to mercilessly tease McGee was proof positive of just how much he cared for him, even if the younger man hadn't figured it out yet.

Gibbs feared that McGee would never see it that way and he was helpless to get either of them to understand where they were going wrong. Tony couldn't figure out why McGee was always pissed at him and McGee couldn't figure out why Tony wouldn't treat him like a grown-up.

Some days it gave Gibbs a headache.

Back at his desk, Gibbs finished yet another file and reached for his countless cup of coffee that day. Taking a long swig, he swallowed appreciatively and looked at the now overly large stack of finished files and reports on his desk. He had gotten more work done in the last 8 hours than he had most of the week.

_Maybe I should send them out again tomorrow._ Gibbs thought to himself with a smile, looking at the clock. As he caught sight of the time, his smile faded.

He realized with a jolt that the entire day had gone by and he hadn't heard a peep from either of his men. The relief he felt just a few seconds before melted like an icicle dropped in boiling water.

No matter what had happened on the case, no matter how boring the search at the crime scene, no matter how long and annoying the drive, there was no way that DiNozzo wouldn't have reported in by now. No way that McGee wouldn't have at least called once to ask him an annoying question in technical jargon that would make the team leader want to smack them both into next week.

As Gibbs' gut tightened, he reached for his phone, knowing even before he dialed Tony's number what would happen.

No answer.


	3. Chapter 3

_Hey folks!_

_Sorry for the delay but this chapter gave me a bit of trouble. Finding the right way to write what's been happening with Tony and Tim wasn't as easy as I first thought. Hope y'all like it and thanks again for all the wonderful reviews and updates, etc. _

_-Moki_

_-_

Chapter Three

"_McGee!"_

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Speeding along the highway, Tony happily hummed along with the tune on the radio. While he'd been surprised to be sent out on what was sure to be nothing more than a wild-goose chase, Tony didn't mind much. The weather was great, sun shining and not too hot nor too cold. If one had to be sent out for a couple hour drive before searching an old crime site, at least it was the perfect day for it.

Tony only wished his passenger felt the same. Sneaking a glance to his right, he saw McGee staring out the window. The younger man hadn't said more than two words since they'd picked up the car from the Navy lot and Tony was getting a little bored.

"Don't you want a briefing on the case, McGee?"

McGee made a noise that could very nearly have passed for an affirmative response. Knowing that whatever was on McGee's mind was apparently not going away anytime soon and that was probably the best he was going to get, Tony went into the details.

"Lieutenant Mark Ralston. Reported UA by his CO and found the next morning by local LEOs hanging from the rafters in a warehouse about a mile from the docks. Everyone wanted us to declare it a suicide and call it a day but Gibbs' gut was working overtime. Figured there was more to it than that. We ran every lead we found, looked under every stone, beat every bush but came up with a grand total of nada. Zip. Zilch."

Tony paused once again, hoping for a response from his partner but as McGee seemed determined to give him the cold shoulder, he continued.

"This was last year. Back when you took that two week vacation. What was it, your sister's birthday, plus family reunion or something like that?"

McGee didn't answer but Tony could've swore he saw a barely noticeable movement of his head. Taking that as a yes, he continued.

"So that's why you don't remember. You weren't here and by the time you got back, the case was declared closed. Though the old man still keeps the file in the stack behind his desk. The fact that our caseload this week has been like the Sahara probably gave him time to go prowling through all of them. Guess it's not a real shock that he'd ask us to check it out. Though what he expects us to find I have no clue."

Again Tony's account went unacknowledged but this time the Senior Field Agent decided he was done trying. They were nearly at their destination and if McGee wanted to be quiet the whole rest of the trip, that was fine by him. Turning up the radio a bit, Tony looked straight ahead and kept on driving. He didn't know what was bothering the other man but he really hoped that McGee would snap out of it soon.

It had been over a year since Tony had last been to the place and all the warehouses in the area looked the same. It took a full twenty minutes after they got off the highway before the agent finally pulled up to the right one. Addresses in the area were nearly useless, most of the buildings so old and worn down that the numbers had long since peeled off in the elements, no one caring enough to paint them back on when they did.

"Okay Probie, this is it. Grab your gear," Tony said, turning off the car and opening his door. He flipped the switch for the trunk on his way out, both men grabbing their bags containing the few items they thought they might need. Since it was no longer an actual crime scene, their gear really only consisted of their cameras, gloves and a few bags and jars for evidence.

Tony pulled out his water bottle, taking a swig before tossing it into his backpack as well. Zipping up his thick jacket against the cold, he led the way to the warehouse's massive door.

"Anyone home?" Tony said with a smile, knocking on the huge door and listening to the sound echoing inside.

"We still have an original warrant, right? Just open it." McGee said in exasperation.

Tony shrugged then pushed on the sliding door with his shoulder. It creaked and moaned in protest but finally moved just enough to let them inside before sliding back into place.

The interior of the building was dark and both men quickly brought out their flashlights.

"The Lieutenant was hanging from there," Tony said as he walked closer to the center of the floor and shined his light on to the wooden rafters above. The actual rooftop was over 25 feet high but beams ran across at about a height of 15 feet, creating a ceiling of sorts.

"Was there anything around for him to stand on?" McGee asked curiously, training his own light above.

"Nope."

"And they were still trying to call it a suicide?"

"Yep," Tony replied, somewhat relieved that McGee's active mind was no longer wallowing and had apparently started concentrating on the case.

"How?"

"Get this," Tony began. "they said he climbed up over there," Tony slid his light over to a nearby wall. There an absolutely ancient ladder sat, attached permanently to the wooden slats that made up the side of the warehouse.

"Then he supposedly tied the rope, put it around his neck and….," Tony made a diving motion with his hands.

"That's crazy," Me Gee replied.

"Tell me about it. Those beams are _maybe _two inches wide. No way he scooted his way out to the center, even if he did climb up the ladder in the first place, which we don't think he did since there was about a half-inch layer of dust on it when we got here."

"What else did you find?"

"Not much. The rope was your basic stuff used on pretty much any dock around. We found more of it in a corner. But it wasn't cut. Looked like someone just managed to find the perfect sized piece."

"Prints?"

"None except for the Lieutenant's. We didn't even find footprints. For a place that looked abandoned, the floor was surprising dust-free."

As they spoke, both men continued to walk around the perimeter of the warehouse. Tony trying to look at everything with new eyes to see if there was anything he missed. McGee seeing it for the first time and trying to get a feel for what happened.

"What was the Lieutenant even doing here in the first place?" McGee asked. "If people were trying to say it was suicide, why here?"

"Apparently he liked to jog along the docks. When we couldn't find anything linking the scene to anyone else, the Director said the Lieutenant must've seen the place on a jog one morning. Then came back later when his life went in the crapper."

"Had it? Gone in the crapper, I mean?"

"Not if you ask me. He wasn't dating anyone so there was no broken heart happening. He was on leave from his ship but nothing too exciting had happened onboard during his last deployment. A few fights with shipmates, stuff like that, but nothing too major."

"Then why say he was a suicide?" McGee wanted to know.

"Because without any evidence to the contrary, there was nothing else it could be. At least in the eyes of the Director. He said that not every man showed obvious signs of stress before taking their own life."

"Yeah, I guess…," McGee didn't sound too convinced.

Tony sighed, not convinced himself but considering that he and the Boss had already been over every inch of the place, didn't know what else they were expected to find. Continuing to slowly walk around the empty building, Tony slid his flashlight back and forth across the floor dutifully. He wasn't going to go against Gibbs' orders, whether he expected to find anything or not.

The two men continued to search the room silently for a while, the only sound the occasional scrape of their shoes on the hard cement. After a few minutes, Tony noted that the interest McGee had shown earlier was starting to wane. That wasn't good. It would only be a matter of time before the other man got cranky again.

"This is stupid," McGee said, scuffing his toe into floor.

_And there it is, McCranky has returned and I'm just about done with being nice,_ Tony thought to himself.

"Just keep looking, McGoo. The boss wants us to look so we're looking. I know you probably have a hot date with one of your online babes but that'll just have to wait."

"Knock it off, Tony."

"Knock what off? I'm just telling it like it is, Elf Lord. Met any hotties on your little game, recently? That blonde cheerleader was hot. Too bad you couldn't close the deal," Tony said with a grin. He was getting a little fed up with his partner's attitude. Maybe a little teasing would snap McGrumpy out of it.

"Keep it up, DiNozzo." McGee said. If Tony had been paying closer attention he might've heard the slight change in the other man's voice.

"Keep what up?"

"Nothing."

It was only one word but Tony didn't miss the tone that time. Sensing that something wasn't right, he turned to McGee.

"Hey, I don't know what you're talking about, man," Tony replied sincerely, unsure of why things had gotten so serious, so suddenly.

"Yeah right, of course you have no idea what I'm talking about…" McGee muttered.

Tony stopped dead in his tracks, looking at his partner in shock. The pure hatred emanating from the other man was tangible.

"Jesus, Tim! What the hell?" Tony said in confusion, unable to fathom what was going on in his partner's headspace.

"Nothing. Just forget it," McGee said, walking ahead.

Tony had had enough. He didn't know what was going on but he was going to get to the bottom of it. Whether the Probie liked it or not.

Reaching out, Tony snatched McGee's jacket as the other man tried to walk by, stopping him from taking another step.

"No seriously, did you just find out that I killed you in another life or something? What is going on with you?" Tony asked.

"What's going on with _me_? You've been on my ass all week Tony, and I'm sick of it." McGee replied, purposely keeping his face turned away from his partner.

"On your ass? What are you talking about? I'm just kidding around. Like I always do. It's never bothered you before. I've been doing it for…"

Before the Senior Field Agent could utter another word, his partner turned on him, walking right up until they were eye to eye.

"Years! That's right, DiNozzo. You've been messing with me for six years. Don't you think I might be tired of it by now? What, did you expect me to just sit back and be your little whipping boy for the rest of my career? Well, you can forget it. You may not think I'm a good agent but there are plenty of other people who do. I'm done taking your crap."

Tony opened his mouth to speak but the mechanics between his brain and jaw stopped working for at least a full ten seconds and nothing came out. McGee turned on his heel, stomping off and leaving his dumbfounded partner behind.

When his wits finally returned, Tony closed his slack jaw and stared after the other man. Not sure what to say, he wisely decided to keep his yap shut for the moment. He really needed time to think about the tirade before coming up with an appropriate response.

The first thought Tony had was that Tim must be upset about something else and simply taking it out on him. Tony quickly dismissed that idea as he realized that the younger man had been griping at him for a while. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more he realized that it had been going on for a _very_ long while. Not days. Not weeks.

Months.

McGee had marched over to the opposite side of the room. Ignoring Tony he continued to search around the site. For the first time since working with the team, McGee felt real anger towards the other man. Anger that made the younger agent not trust himself. Anger so harsh, so deep, that if Tony pushed him right then McGee couldn't be sure that he wouldn't strike back.

Taking a few deep breaths, McGee continued to point his light at the floor. He didn't really expect to find anything, it was just something to do. Something to keep his mind from wandering further towards that angry place that he was trying to avoid.

On the other side of the room, Tony wasn't even pretending to continue his search. His flashlight was pointed at the floor and it was moving but his eyes weren't focused. He purposely kept his back to the other man, hoping that McGee would cool off. Tony hadn't missed the way McGee's fists had tightened when he'd been in the middle of his tirade. It wasn't that he thought the Probie could take him (as if), he just had no desire to go there. It wouldn't solve anything and would undoubtedly make whatever was happening worse.

Therefore Tony deliberately kept his back to McGee, affording the other man some privacy and time to chill out.

So when he heard the loud crack, Tony had no idea what it meant. Reacting quickly, he turned just in time to see his partner go down.

"McGee!"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Okay so there's chapter 3. Next one won't be up until at least next week as I'm going to Comic Con in a few days and probably won't have time to write before then. _

_Also wanted to mention how very excited I am that Black Ice was nominated in the NCIS Fanfic Awards on Livejournal. Thanks very much to Squee Bunny for the nomination. Even if I don't win I wanted to say that I am truly honored to have been nominated. _

_Finally wanted to say that I've changed my profile to add a link to a couple articles I got published (yays!). I've also taken down the link to my blog temporarily as it is in the process of getting moved to my very own site (double yays!). So stay tuned. _

_...Oh and orry for the extra long Author's Notes. Guess I have lots to say today. :o)_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"_Looks like we've got company."_

-------------

McGee heard the strange sound a split second before his partner and looked up to see one of the beams in the ceiling come towards him. Diving to the ground, he rolled away just in time, the thing falling mere inches from where he landed.

Tony was at his side before the dust had fully cleared. "Holy falling ceiling beams, Batman. You okay?" he held out his hand.

McGee ignored it, getting to his feet and dusting himself off. "I'm fine," he replied.

_Well I guess I shouldn't have expected something like a near-death experience to snap him out of it,_ Tony thought with an inward sigh.

"This place is falling apart. Maybe we should just get out of here," Tony said, looking up at the ceiling warily, half-expecting another beam to come down and join its partner on the floor.

"No, you said Gibbs wanted to check it out so let's check it out," McGee replied, looking around in the debris until he located his fallen flashlight.

"Hey, who's the Senior Field Agent here? If I say we leave, then we leave, Probie."

Tony's mouth had spit out the words before his brain could put a stop to it. He was still out of it after the beam nearly killed McGee and automatic pilot took over for a few seconds. If he'd been in his right mind, he never would have said it. Not then. Not after seeing how angry McGee had been just a few short minutes before. Not when he'd seen how hard the other man was fighting not to get violent.

Realizing his grave error, Tony immediately tried to backtrack.

"Hey McGee, listen I…"

Too late.

It wasn't that McGee was faster. Out of the two of them, Tony still had more skills in hand to hand combat. Years of sports, especially football, plus all his years as a beat cop chasing down and tackling suspects gave him the upper hand. McGee was no slouch though, thanks to hours in the gym with Gibbs and Tony. But he still wasn't quite as fast, not quite as strong as his partner.

So it couldn't be that McGee was faster. That simply could not be the reason that he managed to clock Tony in the jaw before the other man could duck. It was probably just due to the fact that his partner never expected it.

_Yeah, that must be it…_Tony thought ruefully, even as his body flew through the air and impacted with the wooden wall behind him. With a resounding crunch that made the agent wonder momentarily if it was the sound of some bones breaking, he landed in a heap. As Tony laid there for a few seconds, he collected himself. He felt the broken wood tumbling around him and was relieved that the sound he'd heard was in fact wood snapping, not any important appendages.

"Um….ow?" Tony said, looking up at his partner in surprise. The agent fought hard against his training that told him to hit back. Knowing that would be the very last thing he should do with the Probie in his current state. It still wasn't going to resolve anything.

McGee didn't reply, just stood staring down at Tony with his hands clenched at his sides. The punch had shocked him just as much as had his partner. What shocked him much more was how much he wanted to do it again. Like really, really, really a lot.

That wasn't good.

Deciding that he'd better get some distance between himself and the other man for both their sakes (for McGee knew without a doubt that if he _did_ choose to fight his partner, he'd end up getting his ass handed to him, no matter how pissed he was), McGee walked off. He took a few deep breaths, willing the adrenaline currently pumping through his system to work its way out. Behind him he heard Tony groaning and the sound of broken planks hitting the floor as the other man struggled back to his feet.

"McGee."

Tim didn't turn around. He couldn't. Not yet. Not until he had gotten himself under control. He knew that. It was a bad idea. A very bad idea. So he stayed as he was, staring at the ground beneath his feet, breathing hard and clenching and unclenching his fists.

"Tim, please….," Tony began and McGee almost turned at that. He'd never heard Tony use that tone before and it very nearly was enough to weaken his resolve. Still, he stayed where he was, unsure of what would happen if he turned around.

"Look I know you have…..issues with me right now. But unfortunately we don't have time for that. I need you over here. That's an order, Special Agent McGee."

If Tony hadn't used the exact right tone of voice, the exact right way of making that statement, Tim might've turned around and hit him again. There was something behind the words, something Tim knew hadn't been there before. Something had changed in the last few seconds and the younger man knew that it had nothing to do with the violence that just occurred.

So he turned.

Tony was cautious of another attack but as the younger man slowly turned towards him, he knew that his gentle order had worked. McGee was ready to get back to work and that's what the Senior Field Agent needed.

For as Tony had begun to pull himself out of the mess of broken boards, he'd found something interesting. Behind the wooden slats was a space just big enough to fit a man. It appeared there was a hidden walkway set up between the concrete slab seen from the outside of the building and the wooden wall on the inside.

"I think we may have something here," Tony said. "Help me get this junk out of the way."

McGee silently did as he was told. He didn't trust his mouth right then. Truth be told, he didn't trust his hands either. But as they were busy pulling the debris out of the way, he was fairly certain they wouldn't take another crack at his partner of their own accord.

Once they cleared out the fallen wood, both men pulled out their flashlights once again. Seeing nothing but blackness, Tony slid into the passageway. He very nearly opened his mouth to say something about how this reminded him of a Three Stooges movie he saw once. Still feeling the tenderness in his jaw from his last thoughtless comment, Tony wisely decided against it.

Following behind the Senior Field Agent, McGee slid into the passageway as well. The space was narrow and both men had to turn sideways, their shoulders a little too broad to fit comfortably. As tight as it was, there was still little doubt that the tunnel was meant to be travelled. In the bouncing light from their flashlights, they could see footprints ahead of them. They followed the ghostly prints farther into the darkness until they reached what must have been the opposite side of the room from where they began.

Coming to a solid concrete wall, Tony was momentarily disappointed. He'd been so sure that the passageway must be for some purpose, more than likely an illegal one. To come to the end of it and find nothing but a wall was less than climactic.

"Tony," McGee said, speaking for the first time. "Look at that."

Looking down where McGee's flashlight was trained, Tony saw something that made him smile despite the cramped and claustrophobic quarters. Instead of concrete below their feet, there was a square piece of wood with a handle on one side and rusted hinges on the other.

"Well, McGee, if that's not a trapdoor then I don't know what is," Tony grinned, determined to go ahead and ignore the earlier incident between them for the moment. They had work to do.

McGee backed up, allowing Tony to step off the door, and then took the other man's flashlight. Tony squatted down and pulled on the handle, relieved to find that it wasn't locked. There should scarcely be a need to lock a door so well hidden but he was still happy he wouldn't have to pick a lock to see where it went.

Taking back his flashlight with a nod of thanks to his partner, Tony pulled his weapon and waited until McGee had done likewise. A ladder led to the floor below and Tony started downwards first, covering the front as McGee covered them from behind.

As he reached the bottom rung, Tony trained his gun to the left, knowing without looking that McGee would automatically be covering the right. It wasn't that Tony always took the left or even that the first man in a room took the left. It was about observing your partner and covering the area they didn't. So Tony knew without laying eyes on McGee that his partner would have his back, just as he had McGee's.

They found themselves in a room surrounded on all sides by thick concrete walls. The dimensions were smaller than the warehouse above and Tony guessed that there must be a few rooms like it below the larger one above. Other than the ladder they'd just climbed down, the room was empty save for a closed door at the other end.

Being closest to the door, McGee nodded at Tony and tipped his head towards it, indicating that he was going to check it out. Tony silently signaled the go-ahead and followed behind, providing cover. When they got to it, McGee reached out a tentative hand. Nervous of a squeaky handle that might give away their position to anyone who could be on the other side, he turned it very slowly.

Tony watched his partner's face and when he got the signal that the door was unlocked, got himself into position. Standing to the side but ready to go in the moment McGee opened it, he lifted his chin to show that he was set. McGee opened the door quickly and quietly, waiting until his partner had gone through before following.

Unlike the room they'd just left behind, this one was anything but empty. It was also larger than its counterpart, easily taking up the rest of the space dictated by the building above. Crates of all shapes and sizes were stacked everywhere, some all the way to the ceiling. Pointing their lights upward in the dark space, the men saw a much larger version of the trap door they'd seen in the original warehouse. Below it was a large platform that obviously served as an elevator, transferring the items from above.

"Whattya think McGee?"

"Well I think that anyone distributing legal goods would have no reason for such subterfuge. How about you?"

"I doubt I would've used a word as fancy as 'subterfuge', but other than that I'm right there with ya."

Tony walked over to the nearest box, tucking his flashlight under his arm to free up his hands. "Well McGee, wanna see what Santa brought us for Christmas?"

In reply, McGee shined his light on the box and Tony lifted the lid. Inside he found nothing very exciting, just a couple of vases. But as they searched through more of the boxes, they found everything from paintings to electronics to rifles to (Tony's personal favorite) a box of obviously pirated DVDs.

"If this stuff was any hotter, it'd be burning my fingers," Tony said, tracing his fingers across the jewels they'd found in one of the smaller containers.

McGee may not have started his career as a detective but even he knew that "hot" was a street term often used for stolen merchandise. "Yep, looks that way. You think this has anything to do with the Lieutenant?"

"Actually I do. Wanna hear my theory?"

McGee raised his eyebrows and nodded in affirmation.

"Well," Tony began, dropping the lid on one box and moving on to another as he spoke. "I think that maybe our good Lieutenant saw something he shouldn't have. The people behind this operation must have gotten rid of him and set it up to look like a suicide."

"Sounds about right. We're gonna need some more proof though. More than just some stuff we _think_ is stolen," McGee replied, indicating the boxes around them.

"Too true. Well I guess it's a good thing that we still have a warrant on this building. We'll get this stuff out of here and start tracing it. Figuring out where it was all stolen from will be a start."

McGee found nothing to argue with about that. "So should we call it in?"

"You read my mind," Tony said, pulling out his phone and flipping it open. Frowning he pushed a few buttons. "Crap, no service. What about you?"

Pulling out his own phone, McGee frowned too. "Nothing."

"Alright, let's head back upstairs and call in the cavalry."

Just as they turned around to leave, both men heard a large bang come from above. Tony was the first one to speak after the momentary silence that followed, both men realizing their predicament.

"Looks like we've got company."

----------------------------

_A/N: Well there's the latest chapter and hopefully the next one will come sooner. Comic-Con was fantastic and I'm already making plans for next year's trip. I've put reviews of both the con itself and the Supernatural panel I attended on my blog. _

_Yep, that means that my blog is now up and running again. This time on my very own site! Wooho! Check out my profile page for the new link. Also feel free to drop me a line if you have something you'd like me to review. I've already been asked to review someone's band/music and someone else's book, which is awesome. _


	5. Chapter 5

_Hi folks! _

_Just want to give a heads-up that I do make a slight reference to my other story "Black Ice" in this chapter. You don't need to read it to understand what's happening but I just wanted to mention it in case anyone gets confused. So_ _when you see_ _a reference to a car accident that never happened on the show, just know that it's from my other story._

_-Moki_

_---------------_

Chapter Five

"_Mine too, McGee. Mine too." _

--------------

The two agents got over their shock and quickly moved behind the largest stack of crates they could find. Luckily it also happened to be in a corner farthest away from both the elevator apparatus on one end of the room and the door on the other.

"Maybe it's just someone going into the warehouse next door," McGee whispered hopefully.

"Yeah right, do we _ever _get that lucky?" Tony replied with a roll of his eyes.

As if in reply, they both heard more noises, various bangs and clangs that they couldn't yet identify. There was no doubt, however, that the sounds were coming from the warehouse above them.

"What now?" McGee asked. Both of them had their firearms but there was no telling how many people could be up there, nor how many weapons they were carrying. Also, they had both left their gear upstairs, the backpacks too much trouble to carry through the narrow tunnel. While a few evidence bags and cameras weren't going to help much, the extra ammo was a different story.

"Well, first off we need to see how many there are," Tony replied, watching the roof above them as they heard sounds travelling from one end of the place to the other.

McGee agreed and once it was obvious that no one was going to come down with guns blazing, they headed back to the door where they'd entered. Pulling out their guns, they cautiously entered the empty room and made their way to the ladder leading above.

"Stay right behind me, but if you see an opening you get out and call for backup, got it?" Tony said, his hand on the handle of the trapdoor.

McGee nodded silently and Tony opened the door cautiously. They found the tunnel as empty as they left it and continued towards the light at the other end. When they got there, Tony poked his head out.

What he saw made him really wish that Gibbs hadn't gotten fed up with him and McGee that morning.

Sliding back into the darkness, Tony leaned in close to his partner. Nearly touching the other man's ear with his lips, he spoke in a low whisper.

"At least five. All armed. Handguns and a couple machine guns."

Seeing his partner's eyes open wide at the report, Tony put a hand on McGee's shoulder reassuringly. "Head back. We need a plan," he ordered simply, unwilling to talk more when there were so many ears about to hear them.

With no room to do much more than turn around, McGee ended up in the lead as they headed back slowly to the trap door. They walked just as silently as before and continued to avoid detection by the well-armed militia on the other side of the wall.

Well, that is right up until the point that Tony's foot caught on an old board. Unable to see anything in the near pitch blackness, Tony's arms caught McGee and the two of them went down with a crash that Helen Keller wouldn't have missed.

Still, as the two of them lay holding their breaths, Tony thought maybe the sound was only loud because they were stuck in the tunnel.

_Maybe they didn't hear any….._

"What the hell was that?" a voice called out clearly from the other side of the wall.

_Crap. _

"Go!" Tony whispered. The bad guys may have heard the crash, but he didn't see the need to yell and give away their exact position. The small arms the men carried would be more than enough against the dilapidated wood surrounding them, let alone the heavier weapons.

Disentangling their limbs, the two men were up and running as fast as they could. Behind them they heard bodies entering the tunnel. Within seconds, the small space echoed loudly with the sound of gunfire.

Feeling a few bullets whiz by over his head, Tony pushed his partner to run faster. He didn't know what they'd accomplish by basically getting themselves trapped in the rooms below but anything was better than the shooting gallery they were in at the moment.

They reached the trap door and McGee stopped to open it, ducking his head as a bullet caused splinters to rain down on him. Feeling Tony's body right behind his, McGee struggled to find enough space to open the door. With a hard yank, he managed to wrench it open and stepped onto the ladder.

As McGee started his descent, the bad guys were getting close. At first, the darkness in the tunnel had kept their enemies from being able to see much as they fired blindly. Now with the light from below filtering in, they started shooting in earnest.

Wanting to get out of the way and allow his partner to reach the relative safety below, McGee moved as fast as he could. A little too fast. As his foot hit the second step, the thing gave way and he started falling. Unable to catch himself, McGee flew towards the floor below.

Up above, Tony was unable to stop it. He saw McGee start to climb, then suddenly the other man's head disappeared faster than it should have. He tried to reach out a hand but his partner was already falling. Scrambling down himself (avoiding the now broken step), all Tony could do was keep firing down the tunnel.

As the other man hit the pavement, Tony heard an audible (and rather sickening) _pop. _Staying where he was, Tony continued to shoot. He heard a couple grunts, telling him that at least a couple of his bullets had hit their mark.

Just as suddenly as it began, the shooting stopped. Apparently after a few of them went down, the bad guys decided to retreat and figure out their next step.

Once he was sure that no on else was coming into the tunnel after them, Tony closed the door, locking it behind him. The bad guys had the keys, but still, anything that slowed them down was a good thing. When he was sure that they were safe (at least for the moment), Tony went to his fallen comrade.

He found McGee holding his shoulder and groaning. The crack Tony heard earlier now made sense. The odd angle of the arm gave no doubt that the shoulder was dislocated. It reminded Tony of the first time that had happened to the Probie. They'd been chasing a Marine hyped up on steroids and the man had managed to take out nearly the entire team before they got him under control. Only Tony hadn't heard the pop that time. He'd been much too busy staunching the flow of blood to his own broken nose.

McGee rocked over to his good side and tried to find a way to sit up. The movement only brought more pain and he groaned again as he tried to hold his arm still.

"Hey, easy, I got ya," Tony said, holstering his weapon quickly and helping the other man into a sitting position. He stood up and looked towards the door on the other end of the room.

"C'mon man, let's get into that storage space. May not help much but at least it's got a little more cover," Tony said, thinking of the crates next door.

"Okay," McGee replied with another wince, trying to figure out the easiest way to stand up. Before he could move though, he felt a pair of hands reaching under his good arm. With Tony's help, McGee was able to stand and walk unsteadily to the other room.

Once inside, Tony led his partner to the corner that provided the most cover. Helping the other man to slide painfully to the ground, he returned to the door they just exited. Finding the largest crates he could move on his own, Tony blocked the door.

"Well," Tony said, swiping his hand together to dust them off . "that might hold them off for a little while."

When his partner didn't reply, Tony squatted down worriedly. "You okay, man?"

"Yeah," McGee replied, shifting around on the floor to find a more comfortable position. Even that small motion hurt and he winced inadvertently.

"I think we need to put that thing back in place," Tony said, worriedly. "The sooner, the better."

"I know," McGee replied. He knew from grim experience that the longer the joint was out the more it would swell, making it harder to put back. He didn't relish the idea that Tony was going to be the one to do it but neither of them had much choice at the moment. "Let's just get it over with."

Getting himself into a better position to perform the procedure, Tony got onto one knee and scooted in as close as he could. Before putting his hands on the other man, he paused.

"Okay Probie, hang on. This is gonna hurt like hell."

"Yeah, no kidding," McGee said with a hiss as Tony's hands palpated his shoulder. "Why don't you tell me something I don't know?"

"Well," Tony paused, pondering for a few seconds. "Did I ever tell you that my mother dressed me like a sailor till I was ten years old?"

"Yep." McGee said with a grin despite himself.

"Oh. Well, then I'm out."

Tony's hands stopped as they found the correct position to put the shoulder back into place and McGee turned his head aside, holding his breath and closing his eyes tightly.

"Hey," Tony said softly, snaking his head around to look the younger man in the eyes. "Don't hold your breath. That's just gonna make it worse. Just try and breathe, okay?"

"Yeah right, like you would know," McGee bit out bitterly.

"Trust me, I do," Tony said thoughtfully, before turning his attention back to his hands.

McGee looked up at Tony, realizing that the other man did know what he was talking about. Not that long ago, Gibbs and Tony had been stuck alone in the snow for almost two days after a car accident. Tony had broken his leg and Gibbs had set it all the way up there on that mountain, without the benefit of an emergency room.

Finding a bit more strength at the thought, McGee decided that if Tony could do it, so could he. Nodding his head, he took a slow breath in and let it out. Closing his eyes and doing his best to relax, McGee continued to breathe slowly.

_That's it, Probie. _Tony thought approvingly, watching the tension drain a little from the other man's features and feeling it in the muscles of the join he was currently holding. Knowing that giving any sort of warning would only make McGee tense again, Tony decided to get the whole thing over with as soon as possible.

Getting a good grip on the other man's shoulder, Tony steadied his hands. In one swift motion, he put the bones back where they belonged. He kept his arms around the younger man as McGee leaned forward in pain, holding his partner steady.

Gasping, McGee sat up after a few moments, resting his head on the wall behind him.

"Good job, Probie. I'm proud of ya." Tony said proudly, patting the other man gently on his good shoulder. "Now let's keep it in place, shall we?"

It took a few minutes, but they finally figured out a way to keep McGee's arm as immobile as possible. With a lot of moaning and cursing (not all of it from McGee), they got the younger man's jacket sleeve off of his good arm. Sliding the injured arm inside the jacket, Tony zipped it back up again. It wasn't as good as a sling but it did keep the shoulder from moving, which did help with the pain.

When it was all done, the younger man once again leaned his head back against the wall, the entire procedure taking its toll. "Thanks," he breathed.

Before Tony could reply they heard a sound from the roof. The trap door above the elevator platform opened and they saw a man poke his head down. The head was closely followed by a hand with a gun.

The two agents began firing. A yelp was heard and the head, hand, and gun all disappeared. After losing three men to the unknown assailants in their midst, the bad guys retreated once again.

The door above closed and in the silence, both men lowered their guns. As he checked his weapon, Tony already knew what he would find. Crouching down low, he joined his partner on the other side of the crates.

"I'm out," Tony stated simply.

McGee looked at his own weapon, though he too already knew the answer. "I've got one round left."

Tony peered around the corner and both of them listened carefully for a few moments.

"Do you think that was it?" McGee said hopefully.

"Nope. Right now they don't know what the hell is going on but soon they'll figure out that there's only two of us and the fact that we're out of ammo. Then they'll be back," Tony replied. Sliding himself down the wall to sit down next to his partner once again.

"So it's just a matter of time." McGee said with finality.

"Yep." Tony replied.

"So we wait."

"Yep," Tony said again.

"Wait for what? For the bad guys to find us and kill us or for Gibbs to find us and rescue us?"

"For both."

"Yeah, but which will come first?"

"_That,"_ Tony said, holding up a finger with a cheeky grin. "is the million dollar question."

They were silent for a few moments.

"My money's on Gibbs," McGee said quietly and Tony nodded.

"Mine too, McGee. Mine too."

---------------------

_Hope y'all liked it. Next chapter coming soon! _

_Be sure to keep checking on my blog (link in my profile page) for new reviews. I know NCIS is in re-runs but I'm still reviewing the repeat episodes. So an NCIS review will be up sometime on Wednesday morning (US west coast time). _

_-Moki_


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

_Too bad Tony had never been given the choice._

------

Tony looked at his watch for the umpteenth time, sighing sadly when he saw that it had only moved about five minutes since the last time he'd looked at it. Two hours. They'd been stuck for two hours. That meant Gibbs would be coming for them soon, right?

Tony hoped so.

"You know, looking at it every five minutes isn't going to make anyone come find us any faster," McGee said.

How the man knew he'd looked at it again, Tony didn't know. McGee hadn't opened his eyes for at least the last half hour.

"Yeah well it makes me feel better," Tony replied with a sigh. "Besides it's not like I have anything better to do down here."

"You could try coming up with a plan to get us out of here. After all you are the _Senior Field Agent_," McGee replied and there was no mistaking the sneer in the comment.

Tony closed his eyes and put his head against the wall, choosing not to rise to the bait. McGee's attitude hadn't exactly improved in the past couple hours, if anything it was getting worse by the minute. Knowing that the other man was in a lot of pain and probably more afraid than he would admit, Tony was letting it slide. He'd been doing it for two hours, he could do it again.

If McGee thought that Tony wasn't trying to think of anything he could to get them out of there (preferably each in one piece), then the junior agent was mistaken. Tony had let his mind wader through a multitude of scenarios, everything from smoke signals to threatening the bad guys with the stolen rifles they'd found. Of course the guns were useless without bullets but maybe the enemy wouldn't remember that there was no ammo in any of the crates (a sad fact Tony knew for sure, because he'd spent nearly an hour looking).

Unfortunately no matter how Tony looked at it, they were outmanned and outgunned. McGee's injury making their situation even more complicated. For now, there was no other choice but to wait. Wait for help. Wait to see what the enemy would do next. Whichever came first.

The Senior Field Agent also knew that things could change any second. The peace and quiet they'd had for the past couple hours could end in a flash, or more likely, gunfire. Once that happened, Tony had some desperate measures up his sleeve. Most involved him probably not making it out alive, but possibly giving McGee a chance. Since Tony wanted to make it home, he was content to wait until things became desperate enough for said desperate measures.

For the moment, all they could do was wait it out. Tony was used to waiting, though. He'd had to do it a lot as a child.

The thought made him smile. "You know, this reminds me of…."

"Tony I swear if you say a movie I will hit you again, dislocated shoulder or not." McGee interrupted before the other man could finish.

Tony opened his eyes and turned his head calmly to his partner.

"I was going to say that it reminded me of my childhood."

"Oh," McGee didn't really know to say to that.

"You see after my mom……," Tony hesitated, unable to get the word out. After a few seconds he continued. "Well, when it became just me and my dad, I used to wait for him to come home from work.....at least at first."

"What do you mean 'at first'?" McGee asked, slightly curious.

"After a while, I stopped waiting. My dad started coming home later and later, until finally he was hardly home at all. But at first, I used to wait for him. Our house may have been full of people - nannies, cooks, assistants, but I was always lonely. Sometimes I just wanted my dad to play with me, you know?"

McGee snorted. "Aw poor baby, I bet it was really hard being stuck in a mansion all by yourself. Being born with a silver spoon in your mouth must have really sucked."

After he said it, McGee almost expected Tony to haul off and hit him. His anger was still boiling underneath the surface and the comment had come straight from there, without pausing to check with his brain first. So McGee really wouldn't have been surprised if Tony had retaliated. He'd certainly given the man more than enough reason to do so in the past couple hours.

Instead, Tony turned his head again to look straight ahead, still smiling slightly.

"Silver Spoons. That was a good show actually. Starring little Ricky Shroeder… before he decided to be called Rick. Not that it really helped his career much."

McGee tried again in vain to find a position that didn't hurt his shoulder. He found the effort fruitless and was almost happy when DiNozzo's voice spoke up quietly, wanting the distraction.

"It wasn't like that, you know."

"What?" McGee asked.

"Growing up. The money. It wasn't like the show."

Still squirming around, McGee grunted as an inadvertent motion caused a twinge.

"Ricky had it better."

"Who?" McGee found the perfect spot to rest on against the wall, sighing as the pain nearly disappeared momentarily.

"Ricky. On the show, Probie."

"I thought you said he wanted to be called Rick now."

"Rick is the actor. Ricky was the character."

"Oh," McGee replied. "How did he have it better? Did he have a better train set?" McGee asked sarcastically. Once again surprising himself by how he sounded. Why couldn't he stop himself? What was it about Tony that was bringing out this vicious side of him?

"I never had a train set," Tony's voice softened even more and McGee noticed that the other man's eyes weren't focused, remembering something from a distant past. "My dad thought they were silly."

"You never had a train set? Not even on Christmas?" McGee was interested despite himself. His parents may not have been able to afford much, but he and his sister always loved pulling out the train at Christmas. It was a tradition that as soon as the tree went up, the train soon followed.

"Nope," Tony replied, still looking off into space. "The Decorators never put one around the tree. I think they knew what my father would have said if they saw it."

"Decorators?"

"Yeah. When I was little, mother decided that she didn't want to put up decorations. Not after the broken nail incident of 1977. After she died….." Tony got the word out that time, swallowing quickly before continuing. "Well, my dad wasn't about to start decorating a tree so he continued to hire them. They did a pretty good job every year, but a train would've been nice."

McGee didn't know what to say. A lot of people (himself included) teased Tony about his upbringing in a wealthy home. Most of the time the other man went along with it, acknowledging his expensive taste in shoes, clothes and cars. Now Tony was admitting that things weren't as perfect as they appeared.

The junior agent realized he didn't know what to do with this Tony. A Tony who spoke softly and sadly about a past that the younger man couldn't begin to understand.

"Tony?" McGee began hesitantly.

"Yeah?"

"You said Ricky was lucky. How?"

Settling his back up against the wall, Tony brought his knees up to his chest. Placing his elbows on his knees he clasped his hands together, rubbing his thumbs thoughtfully. Just when McGee thought he had either chosen not to answer the question or hadn't heard him, the older man spoke.

"He had a Dad."

For one second McGee almost argued that Tony had had a father too. What could he be talking about?

Then it struck him.

As a kid, McGee had seen the show Tony talked about and remembered the basic premise. A young boy and his father lived in a large home after the mother died. McGee remembered the dad on the show as a cool guy. He had loved his son and even played with him, acting more like a kid himself.

The little boy on the show may have lost his mom, but he still had a dad who loved him. The more McGee learned, the more he saw that Tony hadn't had that. He may have had a father but the younger man found it very hard to picture the senior DiNozzo playing with his son or riding around with him on a toy train.

For the first time since he met the man, McGee realized how much luckier he was than DiNozzo. He'd always assumed that money and privileges had meant a sweet life. He now knew that wasn't necessarily the case. .

"McGee?" This time it was Tony who hesitated.

"Yeah Tony?" McGee asked, brought out of his thoughts by the soft query.

"What was Christmas like at your house?"

The simple question, asked so innocently, surprised the younger man.

"You really wanna know?"

"Yeah."

"Well….," McGee's eyes unfocused as he too remembered his past. "the first thing we did was get a tree. My dad would load us all in the car, which sometimes had working heat and sometimes didn't. My sister and I used to fight on trips a lot but never on the way to get the tree." He smiled, remembering the good times. "When we got there, my dad would let us pick out what we wanted……as long as it was under six feet. He never could afford anything bigger than that."

"Really?" Tony was surprised, remembering the nearly 15 ft trees of his own childhood.

"Yeah…well, it's not like we really had the room for anything much bigger," McGee shrugged, trying to hide his embarrassment. He knew that Tony probably thought his Christmas sounded pretty lame compared to what had probably been some very opulent celebrations in the DiNozzo household.

"What else?" Tony pressed.

"When we got home my mom would pull out the Christmas music. Every year it was the same thing. We always started with Elvis' Christmas Album."

"The King? That's some pretty cool Christmas music. I'm impressed."

"Then we'd pull out the decorations and my sister and I would argue over which ornament went where. We each had our favorites and always wanted them in a good spot. Before it got out of hand my mom would bring in hot chocolate. That always shut us up really fast."

"I bet," Tony chuckled.

"Once it was done, we'd rush around to turn out all the lights in the living room and kitchen. Then all of us would sit around and just stare at the tree, listening to the music until my mom ordered us to bed." McGee finished softly.

"Sounds nice," Tony said thoughtfully.

"Yeah. I guess it was. Nothing fancy of course."

"Still sounds pretty good to me."

McGee heard the sadness in his partner's voice and when he looked over, thought he saw tears glistening in the other man's eyes. He'd never thought that his life was anything special but as he looked at Tony, he realized he was wrong. Tony may have had money but he never really had a family.

If he had to choose, McGee knew that he'd pick his family any day of the week over a nice house and lots of presents.

Too bad Tony had never been given the choice.

--------------

_A/N: McGee's X-Mas music "tradition" is mine, though it was only w/my mom. In a way I'm kinda like Tony, as I didn't always have my dad around during the holidays. So mom and I came up w/our own traditions. Now I can't think of decorating without bringing out Elvis' Christmas album. When I was a kid we had it on 8-track (for those of you who even remember what that is), then I bought it on cassette, then on CD and last year was the first year I uploaded it to my iPod. _


	7. Chapter 7

Hey folks! Here's chapter 7. This one was tough to write and came out a bit longer than normal but I didn't think y'all would mind.

Enjoy!

-Moki

----------

Chapter Seven

"_Hey, you know I'm not like those guys, right?" _

---------------

The sun was nearly down as Gibbs sped closer to his destination. With nothing more than his gut to go by, he hadn't told Vance about his possible missing men. He knew the director would point out calmly that the two had probably been simply out of cell service area, the docks being as remote as they were.

The team leader knew that's what Vance would say since those same words had been going through his head for the past hour. Chances were that nothing was wrong. Tony and McGee could be driving back right at that moment, Tony singing along to the radio and McGee griping that he was doing it too loud.

That's what Gibbs tried to convince himself, but it was no use. That's just not how things worked on his team. He had never seen a group of people who could get into more trouble than his people. Then again, he'd never worked with better so he supposed the extra aggravation was worth it.

At least he hoped so this time.

The team leader didn't often allow himself to wallow in guilt. He'd had enough guilt after losing Shannon and Kelly, he had no use for it most of the time.

But as he drove, watching as the highway lights flashed on, he couldn't help but to think about what he'd done that morning. He had sent his men off alone, knowing that there was trouble brewing between them. Then he'd never bothered to check in with them.

"Idiot!" Gibbs yelled to no one. He slapped the steering wheel, not having a good enough angle to give himself a good smack in the head.

Why had he let them go off like that? Why hadn't he kept them where he could watch them? Why didn't he just ask McGee what his problem was and get it all out in the open? Why had he let Tony go off with a man who was obviously preoccupied with something?

Gibbs had no answers to those questions, knowing that even if he did, none of them would make him feel any better. No matter how many times he asked, there was no good answer to why he'd chosen to abandon his men that morning.

In Gibbs' head, letting them go when he knew that all was not well, was just as bad as leaving a man uncovered in a gunfight. Either way you looked at it, they were vulnerable.

He had seen the tension building up between Tony and McGee and had done nothing about it. He had seen the younger man getting more and more upset at Tony's teasing, not understanding where it came from and why the Senior Field Agent did it.

He hadn't stopped Tony from doing what came naturally, instead he'd just stayed out of the way and hoped that McGee would figure it out eventually.

Gibbs knew that Tony could get on the younger man's nerves with his odd attempts at friendship. Not that he was such a great example himself, Gibbs knew that too. After all, his way of showing how much he cared for the members of his team was to growl and smack them on the head.

It hadn't always been that way though. When Gibbs had Shannon and Kelly in his life he'd had no trouble showing his love for both of them. He was kind, funny, loving, affectionate – all the things that his team thought he wasn't.

He was sure it was one of the reasons he understood Tony so well. Only Ducky had been around him long enough to know that he and his Senior Field Agent had once been very alike.

All of the pain and hurt in each of their lives manifested itself in a different way. Gibbs had closed down while Tony had seemingly opened up (though those closest to him knew that it was all an act). Still, it was a reaction to the same thing.

Losing the people you loved most in your life had a way of changing someone.

It was Mike Franks who brought Gibbs back from the empty husk that he had been after his family died. Gibbs had been so devoid of feelings that he wasn't sure he could ever feel anything for anyone again.

It had started out slow. The first thing that Gibbs had felt any emotion for, had actually been the job. Bringing down a bastard who'd just murdered a young petty officer or putting someone away for spying, these things had opened his heart a little. It had shown him what it was like to feel something other than raw, dripping, pain.

After that he'd finally started to feel something for another person – Franks. It started with respect and ended in true, albeit often bickering, friendship.

Mike had showed Gibbs how much he cared by growling and headslapping. It made perfect sense that when Gibbs was empty of emotion and waiting to be refilled, he took on those very characteristics.

Gibbs understood Tony better than he did McGee. Only he had been able to understand just how hurt DiNozzo had been after the whole Jeanne fiasco. Tony had come so close to having the family he'd always wanted, even if he would have to play the role of "DiNardo" to do it. When it had all been snatched away, Gibbs had worried that Tony would never bounce back.

He still respected McGee though, and Gibbs was proud to see the younger man turning into a damn fine agent. The team leader would never have anyone on his team who wasn't good at what they did. Their methods may be different, but Gibbs still valued McGee. It was just that, with Tony, they related on a more visceral level.

Gibbs had noticed that McGee liked feeling important around Vance. The new Director had made it very clear that he preferred McGee's type of agent over DiNozzo's.

Vance and McGee were more like cyber-cops. Still good agents, they tended to let technology fill in holes the he and DiNozzo filled with their guts.

As to which type of agent was better, Gibbs didn't know. He just knew that one could not often become the other. He and DiNozzo barely understood how to use their cell phones, but they could still read a crime scene like no one else.

Gibbs came back to the present as he spotted the exit to the docks. He drove slowly between the large buildings, squinting to see the numbers in the barely lit area.

What he hoped to find when he got there, he hadn't bothered to think about. But as Gibbs pulled up and saw another sedan parked outside. he knew that wasn't a good sign.

"Dammit," he whispered.

--------------------

After another couple hours of doing basically nothing but sitting on his ass, Tony was getting restless. Waiting had seemed like a good idea but now he wasn't so sure. What was taking so long? He'd expected Gibbs to find them by now or for the bad guys to make a move. Neither had happened and it made him nervous.

Unable to stand it any longer, Tony jumped to his feet. McGee had been dozing lightly and startled awake at the commotion.

"What're you doing?" McGee asked sleepily, blinking his eyes rapidly and looking around for any signs of danger.

"I'm gonna see if I can get us out of here," Tony replied, picking up his flashlight and shining it above them.

McGee moved as if to stand up and join his partner but Tony held up a hand.

"No, just stay there. No need to have you bang up your shoulder unless absolutely necessary. I'm gonna have enough paperwork as it is," Tony said with a grin.

Tony walked off to the corner of the room with the trap door in the ceiling. It suddenly occurred to him that if people were getting things in and out through it then maybe they could get out that way too.

As he made his way past the crates, Tony found an empty space he'd never noticed before. Looking down he saw why and felt a tiny twinge of hope. Below his feet was a metal platform and next to it a pole with a box and keypad. It looked like something one would see in the older parts of town. The box controlled a lift system under the metal platform, carrying things from underground to the floor above.

Tony wasn't sure where the trapdoor above them led but considering they already knew the door in the room led to a ladder and a room full of shooting bad guys, he was willing to take a chance on the new option.

Fiddling with the buttons, Tony frowned slightly as nothing happened. He noticed the keypad and realized why he was getting nowhere. The thing must be controlled with an access code of some sort and without that, it wasn't going to budge.

Sighing in frustration, Tony put his hands on his hips, wondering what to do next. Then inspiration hit him.

"I'm an idiot!" Tony yelled happily, giving himself a good headslap for his stupidity. The Senior Field Agent had completely forgotten the fact that he just so happened to have a Super Geek with him.

Running back to his partner, Tony nearly fell as he stumbled around the corner in his haste.

"Not that I disagree, but why exactly are you an idiot this time?" McGee asked, having heard his partner very clearly from the other side of the room.

"Because I can't break a code…..but _you_ can," Tony replied, holding out his hand and helping McGee to his feet. "C'mon I've got a job for you, Elf Lord."

When McGee saw the keypad, he wasn't nearly as excited as his partner.

"What?" Tony asked, waving his hands at the keyboard. "Can't you do your magic geek thing and make it work?"

"Well yeah, maybe if I had my laptop with all of its decryption software on it. I can't just do it out of thin air, you know." McGee replied with a sigh.

"Wait, so Mr. Perfect doesn't know what to do? When this is your area of expertise?" Tony said, turning around and putting a hand through his hair irritably.

"Don't call me that," McGee said testily, still studying the keypad.

"Why? It's accurate isn't it?" Tony turned back around. Suddenly frustration of the entire day hit him all at once and he wanted to aim it somewhere.

McGee didn't say anything.

"Poor Mr. Perfect. Always perfect and now he's made a mistake and doesn't know what to do," Tony's voice rose as everything pent up inside him came out.

"Stop it, will you?" McGee snapped finally, turning on the other man.

Once look at McGee's face and Tony knew he'd gone too far again. Holding up his hands consolingly, he sighed.

"Sorry, man. All of this," Tony indicated the room around them. "is just getting to me, you know?"

McGee glared at him for another few seconds, breathing deeply. Then he turned and threw himself down on the floor, his back up against the nearest wall. Hissing in pain at what the maneuver did to his shoulder, the younger man massaged it slightly.

Studying his partner curiously for a few moments, Tony slowly walked over to where he sat. Silently sliding his own back down the wall, he sat down next to McGee.

"Hey man, I'm really sorry. I'm just frustrated. I didn't mean any…."

"I know," McGee said with a sigh.

"What's going on, Tim?" Tony asked after a few moments. Once again thinking that there was more going on with his partner than was visible on the surface.

McGee looked at his hand in his lap, pulling at a thread on his jacket before he answered, his voice quiet but clear in the silent room.

"It's just that nickname….'Mr. Perfect'. I hate it. There were these guys in school. They called me that sometimes before they…" McGee paused.

Tony's eyes narrowed. He knew what had come next and it pissed him off. He'd never been one to beat up younger kids. Tease and taunt a little, maybe, but only those he knew could take it and, more often than not, would tease and taunt him right back. Tony never hung out with the boys who got vicious with the smaller kids, either verbally or physically. A few times he'd even come to the rescue of a few of those kids, punching some bullies in the nose and getting himself sent to the Dean's office.

"How old were you?" Tony asked softly.

"I don't know….seven or eight?" McGee replied. "I don't think they liked that I was so….smart." The admission seemed to embarrass him.

"Nothing wrong with being smart, Tim."

"Yeah well, someone should've told these guys that. I found out the hard way that getting the highest grades in the class was the best way to get on their list of kids to beat up after school."

"Did it ever get better?"

"After a while. High school was still pretty bad. I learned how to run but they still caught me a few times. Then there was the time….," he hesitated again.

"It's okay man, you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to." Tony said quickly.

McGee almost took Tony up on the offer, ready to lapse into silence. It would've been easier, not saying anymore, but he couldn't do it. He needed to get it off his chest, especially since the other man had so recently admitted something hard about his own childhood. Besides, it might make him feel better to let Tony know what was going on in his head.

"No it's okay. It's just that in high school these guys found out about my fear of heights. They thought it would be funny to drag me to the roof of the gym then hold me up by my ankles."

"Really?" Tony was shocked.

"That was bad enough, but then one of them lost their grip and…. I fell. Luckily the gym wasn't too high but still…I was in the hospital for a little while."

"Oh God." Tony whispered.

"For some reason after that I was even more afraid of heights." McGee said ruefully with a shrug.

Tony stared ahead for a while, thinking of the implications of what McGee had just said. He knew it couldn't have been easy for the younger man to admit what he just had. There must have been a good reason for him to do so. Something that had to do with why McGee had been so angry with him for so long.

Did that mean?....

Suddenly Tony turned back to McGee, worry in his eyes.

"Hey, you know I'm not like those guys, right?"


	8. Chapter 8

_Hello all, _

_Here is the latest chapter and I'm already working on the next one so hopefully it should be up fairly soon. I actually want to start writing my next story so I'm trying to finish this one up as soon as possible, without rushing it of course!_

_Enjoy!_

_-Moki_

_--------------------_

Chapter Eight

"_Oh crap."_

-----

"Hey, you know I'm not like those guys, right?"

McGee was silent for a while, thinking. Tony's words hung between them, almost visible. Like a balloon coming out of a character's mouth in a comic book.

Did he know that? One thing he knew was that Tony reminded him of those guys. He knew that every time Tony screwed with him and teased him, he thought of them. Was Tony really like them? McGee had to admit he wasn't really sure, one way or the other.

The pause his partner took in replying told Tony everything he needed to know and he was quick to speak up and clear the air.

"Hey man, trust me, I wasn't. I may have messed around but I never did anything like that. Heck, sometimes I was the guy defending guys like you."

McGee still didn't say anything. He really wanted to believe Tony, but a part of him was having a hard time. In many ways, Tony represented all those guys in McGee's eyes. How could he really believe it wasn't the truth? Just look at the way Tony treated him most of the time.

"The teasing……it's not out of dislike, you know," Tony said quietly, looking down at his hands. He knew that McGee needed to hear what he was going to say next, but admitting it sure wasn't going to be easy.

"What?" McGee looked up in surprise. The horrible teasing he'd endured as a young man had never come from anything other than hatred. The other guys hated him for being smart, for getting the best grades in class, for anything that made him not like them.

"I never teased because I didn't like you, Tim."

"Really? Sure hard to tell." McGee couldn't help the slight dig.

"Look man, I don't have any brothers. My dad was…..well, let's just say there wasn't much affection there. I didn't learn how to be friendly around other guys until college and all we ever did was screw with each other. _Hell Week_ was the best and worst week of my life. Worst because I had to……well, nothing fun….and the best because I finally found some friends. I'd never had that before."

"Really?" Now McGee was intrigued. Could that really be the truth? Could someone really grow up without friends?

"Yes, really. Servants are nice but they don't make good friends. I learned that the hard way when I was ten years old and the butler told my dad that I broke one of his favorite wine glasses. Friends don't tell on you, McGee."

McGee was taken aback. He couldn't imagine living a life as a child where you couldn't even trust the people who lived in your own house.

"So there I was, surrounded by all these guys who were actual friends. I…" Tony paused, making a face and clearing his throat. "….loved them all and I know they felt the same way, but hey, we're dudes, so you don't go saying that stuff. And you sure as Hell don't go _showing_ it." Tony practically shivered in disgust at the mere thought, making McGee smile.

"So when you guys messed with each other….?" McGee asked hesitantly.

"We did it as a sign of affection. Yeah I know it's weird, but hey, that's what we did. I'm sure a shrink would have a field day with it, but I don't really care." Tony replied with a shrug.

"So when you mess with me….?" McGee was again hesitant, not sure if he wanted to know the answer or not.

"Oh god, you're gonna make me say it, aren't you?" Tony groaned, putting his head in his hands. "Okay fine. Yes Tim, most of the time when I tease you it's because I actually like you…..as a friend. No offense but I don't roll that way." Tony's cheeky grin was back.

"Oh," McGee replied, a little confused about how to respond to this new information. It had really never occurred to him that Tony actually liked him. Put up with him. Respected his knowledge occasionally, maybe. But _liked_ him? That was something new to think about.

"Hey McGee?" Tony looked at him quizzically, as if he'd just thought of something.

"Yeah."

"So why did it start bothering you all of a sudden, by the way? I mean I've been messing with you for a long time, why did it suddenly piss you off recently?"

McGee shrugged. "Honestly? I'm not even sure myself. I guess it started with us all getting split up and me being sent downstairs to the cyber unit. It wasn't the same as being a Field Agent but I did have my own 'team' in a way and…..well, I kinda liked it, ya know?"

Tony nodded with complete understanding. If anyone understood what it was like to have the respect that comes from running your own team, only to have to go back to being a junior agent, it was him.

"Plus I had some personal stuff happen this year, stuff that was embarrassing to admit because most of it was because I made some stupid mistakes with my investments. It just reminded me that I wasn't "Mr. Perfect" after all. I guess after that I just started taking things a lot more personally than I ever had before."

Tony frowned, "I'm sorry, man."

"No Tony, I think I'm the one who should be sorry. I'm the one who changed, not you. Lie you said, you've been acting the same way with me since we met. How could you know that suddenly I wouldn't be able to take it anymore?"

"Still man, I feel like I shoulda…"

"Just forget it, I mean it. No griping this time. How about we just call it even?" McGee asked.

"Deal," Tony replied, then stopped to think a minute. "Though I can't promise…"

"That you won't keep right on doing it?" McGee asked, this time with a cheeky grin of his own.

"Yep."

"Yeah I figured as much. Well at least this time I know it comes from…." McGee paused as he realized something that Tony had said earlier. "Hey, DiNozzo? What did you mean when you said it came 'mostly' from affection? What about the rest of the time?"

Tony jumped to his feet and dusted off his pants. "C'mon McGoo, we have a code to crack."

Shaking his head bemusedly, McGee allowed Tony to haul him to his feet. Whatever other reason Tony had for the teasing, he supposed he wasn't going to get it out of him right then. Besides, the other man had a point. They did have a code to crack if they stood any chance of getting out of there.

The next few minutes were spent mostly in silence as McGee studied the keypad, even going so far as to ask Tony to pry open the back so he could see the wiring.

"Shit," McGee said in exasperation, all out of ideas.

"C'mon, you can't give up. Put that enormous cranium of yours to work, McGee." Tony supplied helpfully.

Rubbing at his temples with his one good hand, McGee let his mind wander for a few seconds. He sincerely wished he could call Abby right then. He was sure that she would be able to come up with an idea. Then again, the fact that they couldn't call her was part of the whole reason they were there in the first place, since their phones weren't working.

Suddenly McGee looked up with a smile and Tony grinned to see it.

"Aha! I know that look. You've thought of something, haven't you?"

"Maybe," McGee replied noncommittally, unsure if his idea was even going to work or not. "Take off your jacket for a second, will ya?"

Knowing that his partner was obviously on to something, Tony did as he was asked.

"Drape it over me and the code box," McGee asked, getting down on his knees in front of the thing. Flipping up his phone and shining the light from the screen on the keypad, he got under the jacket.

Tony's eyebrows raised but determined to wait until McGee wanted to tell him what was happening, he didn't comment. A few minutes later, he was almost ready to break his own promise. McGee hadn't said a word and though Tony could see him moving slightly under the jacket, he had no clue what in the world was going on.

Just about ready to burst with curiosity, Tony was surprised another minute later when the lift under him started to move.

Unaware that Tony was standing on the platform, McGee hadn't thought to warn his partner of such a possibility. When he realized he'd broken the code, McGee automatically pushed the button to test it out. He immediately turned it off but unfortunately not before Tony lost his balance and fell straight onto his rump.

Throwing the jacket off of his head when he heard Tony's involuntarily yell, McGee couldn't help but to laugh at the look on his partner's face as he stared up at him from the ground.

"Hardy Har Har. You did that on purpose didn't you, McGeek?" Tony said, laughing just as hard at himself.

Tony stood up and tried to dust himself off once again. With his good arm, McGee helped out as much as he could, not really helping much. A couple tumbles onto the dirty floor had done a lot of damage to the expensive fabric.

"Hate to say it Tony, but I think your suit is ruined."

Tony looked down at himself and chuckled at the mess.

"Damn. This was my favorite suit too." Tony looked at McGee and shrugged, not really caring about the suit now that it looked like they might actually be making it out of there alive.

Then he saw something behind the other man that changed everything.

McGee saw Tony's face change and he looked at him curiously. "Tony What is….?" he began.

"McGee! Lookout!"

Four seconds.

Later that's what McGee would remember the most about what transpired. Not the fear, not the adrenaline. The fact that it all took place in about four seconds. That was all the time it took for things to go to Hell in a hand basket.

Four heartbeats.

Strange that the sound of his own beating heart would be the soundtrack to such an odd dance.

_Thump, thump.._

The way Tony screamed his name, McGee knew right away something was wrong. He knew that tone of voice. It was the same tone he'd heard the day before Kate died, when Tony had found a bomb that nearly killed them all.

_Thump, thump.._

McGee's first instinct was to duck, but before he could he was hit with about one hundred and eighty pounds of running DiNozzo.

_Thump, thump.._

The two of them hit the ground hard and if McGee didn't already believe that Tony had once played football, he certainly did after that tackle. Knocked down with the force of a stampeding herd of elephants, McGee groaned as his shoulder protested and his head smacked hard against the pavement.

_Thump, thump.._

Seeing a muzzle flash and hearing a single shot as they fell, McGee aimed over Tony's shoulder with his good arm. Firing his one and only bullet, he took the man out and there was silence once again.

Waiting for a few seconds to make sure that no one else was coming, McGee tried to move, Tony's body still on top of him. Thinking that his partner was being a tad over-cautious, McGee grinned.

"Okay DiNozzo, you can get off me now."

It took him a second to realize that Tony didn't respond right away.

It took him another second to realize that his hand, still wrapped around Tony's back from the tackle, felt sticky and wet.

"Oh crap."

------------------

_A/N: By the way, I just wanted to let everyone know that one of my other NCIS fics, "Black Ice" is being translated into French! I put a link into my profile page if anyone is interested in checking it out. Special thanks to Daniellano1702 for asking if she could do it and then putting in all the hard work on the translation. I am truly honored to have been asked. _


	9. Chapter 9

_Hey folks!_

_Just wanted to say a quick thanks to everyone for all the reviews, alerts, etc. You guys rock! I do my best to answer each and every one and I'm sorry if I've missed a few recently. I wanted to get this chapter up fast so I can finish up this story by the time the new season starts. Then I'll start working on my next one. _

_Also I wanted to be sure to thank those who review without logging in as I of course can't reply to you guys directly. So thanks to you guys, too. :o)_

_Enjoy!_

_-Moki_

_------------------------_

Chapter Nine

"_Corpsman!"_

-------------

"No, no, no…." McGee said anxiously, struggling to get out from under his unmoving partner.

McGee gently rolled Tony onto his back, looking desperately for a wound. Not finding any, he slowly pulled him forward until Tony was lying on his side. There his fears were realized as he saw the entry wound near the other man's right shoulder blade. The fact that he found no exit wound in the front was bad. It was very, very bad.

Tony suddenly groaned and tried to pull away from McGee's hands. "McGee?" he looked around in confusion, momentarily forgetting what had happened.

"You were shot, Tony. You……you took a bullet for me," the younger man sounded surprised and Tony smiled slightly.

"Yeah well, that's my job isn't it? Saving my Probie's ass?"

"Funny," McGee replied shakily, not really comfortable with Tony joking around while he was lying there with a bullet in his back. Though a part of him knew that if Tony started acting anything other than like his normal annoying self, he'd have real cause to worry.

Tony once again tried to roll away, but McGee held him firm. "Look Tony, you got shot in the back and there's no exit wound. I don't think you should lay down on it."

Tony thought about it and realized his partner was right. "Okay, help me sit up then? Laying on my side like this is killing me."

McGee reluctantly agreed, doing as much of the work as he could to help the other man sit up. It wasn't easy with only one working hand each, but soon Tony was sitting up. Then McGee helped him slide back until he was leaning against the nearby wall with his uninjured shoulder.

"What a pair we make, eh McGee?" Tony said with a strained smile, noting that they were both favoring their right arms and shoulders now. He rested his head against the wall, closing his eyes and coughing a few times.

"Yeah, we're regular twins, DiNozzo," McGee replied, trying to keep the worry out of his voice. He had seen the obvious pain the cough had caused his partner, knowing that the bullet could be in his lung. McGee wasn't a medical expert but somehow he didn't think that bullets and scarred lungs were a good combination.

Positioning himself next to Tony, McGee put pressure on the wound. He swallowed nervously and looked away as he pressed hard and blood seeped through his fingers. Tony hissed at the added pressure and McGee grimaced to hear it.

"Sorry," McGee said quietly, still not looking at his hands.

"It's okay, McGee…..not….your fault," Tony replied slowly.

The junior agent felt his heart race as he noticed his partner's eyes drooping in a face that was a pale version of its normal self. Concentrating on keeping pressure on the wound, McGee took a breath to steady himself.

Panic rose inside the younger agent, but he quickly squelched it. With his superior severely injured, it was up to him to figure out how to get them out of there. Tony had come up with the idea of using the lift and McGee had got it working. Now he just wondered if there was any way to use the damn thing.

Tim looked over at the metal platform, now more than ten feet away from their current position. Not a lot of distance, but with Tony losing strength and McGee only able to use one arm, the thing might as well have been on the other side of town.

Trying to figure out if he had enough strength to drag DiNozzo back onto the lift with one arm, McGee suddenly realized that his partner had become quiet. Much too quiet.

"Hey…Tony?" McGee put his hand on Tony's face, worried when he got no reaction. The other man's eyes were closed tight, his face slack and his breathing shallow.

McGee couldn't believe what was happening. The two of them had finally come to some sort of an understanding. Now there was every chance that the other man was going to die right there in his arms, and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.

As he sat there holding his partner, McGee remembered all the things that Tony had done for him. Covering for him when he was late, being there when he thought he had killed a cop, helping him work things out when a crazed fan was using his books as a means for murder. Ziva had even told him that Tony had purposely given him grunt duty when Gibbs had been severely injured in an explosion. McGee had been unable to enter that room and sensing his discomfort, Tony had given him duties away from the bloody and messy crime scene.

It made McGee realize that if their places were switched, Tony wouldn't just sit there and wait for his partner to die. If it were him lying bleeding, barely breathing in Tony's arms, McGee knew that Tony would do…..well, something.

That thought put McGee into action.

_No way Tony, you're not dying on me now_. McGee said to himself. He quickly laid the other man flat out on the ground and listened to his chest. He heard a weak but steady heartbeat and felt the slight rise and fall of Tony's chest denoting that his partner was indeed still breathing.

Knowing he needed to get the bleeding under control, McGee struggled to take off his jacket. Hissing slightly at the pain it caused his shoulder, Tim rolled Tony onto his side once again. He pressed the fabric into the wound, laying Tony back down onto his back. Letting the man's own weight continue to put pressure where it was needed.

Sitting back on his heels, McGee had done as much as he could for the moment. Tony was as stable as he was going to get and now it was time to figure out what to do next.

He had just started working on a plan to get onto the lift and maybe run for help, when the gunfire started again. Ducking down behind the boxes, he realized that they needed more cover. Grabbing his unconscious partner by the collar with one hand, McGee started tugging with everything he had.

When that didn't work, McGee knew what he had to do and Tony would've been proud to see that he didn't hesitate. Ignoring the searing pain in his arm, Tim grabbed his partner, with both hands this time, and yanked.

Pulling Tony with him, McGee got them both into a better position behind some larger crates. Somewhere along the line he'd felt his shoulder go out again but he ignored it.

Leaning against the crates and panting from his exertions, McGee looked around to see if he could find anything that could be used as a weapon. Not for the first time in the past few minutes, he really wished Tony was awake.

"I bet there's a movie you've seen with a situation like this, DiNozzo. You'd probably come up with some crazy, yet strangely plausible, plan to blow the bad guys up with a bomb made from toothpaste or something," McGee said, ducking as another spate of gunfire rained splinters down on his head.

He threw himself over Tony, covering the man's face and chest with his own body. When the firing stopped, he stayed where he was for a few moments to be sure the danger had passed.

His own pounding heart and panting breaths were so loud that he nearly missed it, but after a few seconds McGee knew that something was wrong. With a jolt, he jumped up as he realized that Tony wasn't moving at all.

"Tony?" McGee was hesitant, hoping against hope that somehow this was some sick joke. Right then he wouldn't mind some of DiNozzo's crazy humor. As long as it meant that he was wrong about what he'd felt when he'd lain on top of the other man's chest. Anything would be better than knowing that Tony was no longer breathing.

"No Tony, you can't…," McGee began, quickly going into full CPR mode. Instinct guided his hands as he tipped his partner's head back and began pushing on his chest and breathing for him.

-----------

Gibbs stared at the empty warehouse, turning off his engine. He reached into the passenger seat to get his flashlight when he heard two gunshots. The first weapon he didn't recognize but his keen ears told him that the second was a Sig. He'd bet his boat that it belonged to one of his men. Which one he couldn't be sure but that part didn't really matter to him. They were under attack. That's all he cared about.

Barely pausing to dial his phone and call in backup from the local LEO's, Gibbs ran into the empty warehouse. Surprised, he found there was nothing in the place but a layer of dust. Where were Tony and Tim?

The team leader had no way of knowing that the lift system his men had discovered led behind the place. The door opened next to the water so that items could be easily loaded to and from small watercraft.

What he did know was where the sound of the Sig had come from and that was….below?

Gibbs looked down at his feet, not believing his ears. He was sure the sound had come from below, but how? Frantic, he followed it and found a wooden wall. Kicking with all his might, he broke through to an empty space behind. Not bothering to stop and wonder at how a tunnel could possibly be there, he started running until he found a trapdoor.

His gut told him that his men were running out of time. How he knew that, he didn't know, but he did. He only hesitated a moment before opening the door and climbing down the ladder. The broken step caught him off guard but Gibbs was able to hang on and clamber down safely. When he found an empty room with a door at the other end, he knew they must be on the other side.

It was then that he finally slowed his pace. Haste could mean danger and while Gibbs didn't care about much himself, he now had Tony and McGee to worry about.

Moving quickly and silently, Gibbs crossed to the door. Before he could open it, he heard more gunfire. This time nothing but enemy guns, none of the weapons were Sigs. Which meant that either his men had located other firearms, or they were out of ammo.

Opening the door a crack, Gibbs got a quick visual of the action. He saw another large warehouse, completely stacked with crates. On the opposite end from the door was another trapdoor in the ceiling. Two men were busily firing away at a corner where his men must be, considering how hard the bad guys were trying to blow it into smithereens.

Staying down, Gibbs scooted into the room and got under cover. Then he opened fire.

-----------

Unaware that his boss had just entered the fray, McGee ignored the gunfire around him. He had no choice. He had to keep breathing for Tony. He had to keep up the rhythm. It was the only chance the other man had.

As he continued, thoughts came to McGee's mind. At first he found himself thinking about the previous day. Doing his CPR req's and Tony there screwing with him while he did so. Then other things came to mind….

Tony singing Frank Sinatra at the top of his voice while he was trying to look up a perp's records.

Tony quoting endless movie references while he was decrypting a suspect's computer.

Tony eating cookies over his head and dropping crumbs into his hair while he pulled up surveillance videos.

Tony rolling up balls up paper and throwing them at his head while he searched through records to find a connection with a known suspect.

Without pausing in his rhythm, McGee shook his head. _You crazy jerk, that's why you do it, isn't it? You're just making sure I won't break under pressure, that I keep my head together under fire_….McGee thought to himself.

Determined to prove that he was a good student to his rather unorthodox teacher, McGee kept on going. He ignored the firefight going on around him, ignored the pain in his shoulder, ignored the splinters that sprayed into his scalp from a few close calls, he even ignored it when another body landed by his.

He didn't even notice when the gunfire stopped, so caught up was he in his one and only purpose – continue breathing for Tony.

Only when a voice spoke near his ear, did McGee pause, but only slightly.

"That's a good job Tim, ambulance is almost here," and McGee looked up to find Gibbs' bright blue eyes looking into his.

"I have to make sure there aren't any more scumbags around, can you keep it up till the EMT's get here?" Gibbs hated to ask. He hated leaving Tony not breathing and McGee barely holding on by a thread, but there was nothing else he could do. He had to make sure the place was clear or risk all of them getting shot by someone hiding out and hoping for just such an oversight.

McGee nodded once, immediately putting his head back down and continuing with his work. Sweat rolled down his nose and into his eyes, his arm ached and throbbed, but still he continued.

Gibbs ran off and searched the area for any more dirtbags. Searching the entire warehouse, he found none and ran to the lift. Pushing buttons until the thing moved, he rode it up to the dock. There he found a van with a couple bodies inside. The wounds told him where all of Tony and McGee's ammo had gone. Taking a quick head count, Gibbs was proud to see that his men had held up well despite being outgunned two to one.

The ambulance arrived then and he guided the EMT's back to the lift and to Tony. He knew his steps faltered as he ran to where his agent lay. In all the noise and confusion, Gibbs had hardly looked at the fallen man. Now he got a good look and was shocked at the lifeless form under McGee's frantically working hands.

McGee didn't seem to notice the arrival of the EMT's and Gibbs had to gently pull him aside.

"They've got him now, Tim," Gibbs said, watching as the men quickly went to work. They put in a breathing tube and shocked Tony until his heart started beating again. With each pulse of the machine, Gibbs felt his own heart jumped in time with Tony's convulsions. Beside him, he felt McGee do the same.

They got Tony onto the lift and up to the dock level. There the team paused momentarily to adjust the lines in the injured man's arms, adding bags of liquid and covering him with more blankets.

Gibbs' mouth was dry as he watched the men working on his Senior Field Agent. Trying not to think about the fact that he'd practically ordered both of his men into this situation, he noticed McGee pacing nearby. The younger man was mumbling to himself, scraping a bloody hand through his sweat soaked hair.

"Hey McGee," Gibbs began.

The younger man stopped suddenly and looked at him in desperation. "It's my fault, Boss. I should be the one lying there. He should've let that stupid bullet hit me!"

McGee had been walking back and forth nervously ever since Gibbs had practically dragged him away from Tony. The man was making himself crazy and Gibbs had had enough. He grabbed the younger by the collar and put him against the warehouse wall with some force. McGee stopped mumbling, blinking up at his boss in surprise.

"You knock it off, you hear me McGee?"

"But Boss…."

"But what? You think you should have taken that bullet?"

McGee simply nodded mutely.

"Let me ask you something. You know where that bullet hit DiNozzo?"

Again McGee nodded. How could he forget? He had watched blood pouring from that wound, his hands were still covered in it.

"Show me," Gibbs demanded.

Not sure where Gibbs was going, McGee raised his hand hesitantly, pointing to the other man's right shoulder.

Gibbs nodded. "That's right. Right here," Gibbs put his finger on the spot. "He was facing you, right? Took the slug in the back?"

McGee nodded again.

"But you were facing forward, right? Kind of like we are now?" Gibbs stepped in closer.

"So tell me McGee, if Tony hadn't been there, where would the bullet have hit _you_?"

McGee looked at Gibbs' finger, still pointing to nearly the exact point where the bullet had hit Tony from behind. Mentally he drew a straight line and saw that if nothing had stopped it, the bullet would have hit him…….straight in the heart.

Seeing recognition on the young agent's face, Gibbs nodded.

"That's right, Tim," Gibbs said in a voice barely above a whisper. "Tony knew what he was doing. He did what any of us would have done. He knew that he had a better chance of surviving a bullet to the back than you did of surviving one to the chest. So you _stop_ blaming yourself right now, got it?" he gripped the man's collar tighter, giving him a slight shake.

McGee nodded again, still unable to speak. 

Gibbs opened his mouth to make sure the message got across when suddenly McGee gave him a strange look.

"What is it, Tim?" he asked worriedly.

"Boss….I….don't feel so good." The younger man's legs gave out and only the ex Marine's quick reflexes saved the agent from going down hard. Old habit caused Gibbs to yell for help the only way he knew how when a fellow brother in arm was injured.

"Corpsman!"


	10. Chapter 10

_Hi folks!_

_Sorry for the delay after the last cliffie but I've had some writing challenges. We've been dealing with major heat here in Southern California, and now lots of fires. Luckily I'm not really near any but the entire valley where I live is covered in smoke. Last night I watched the orange glow of the fires from my window. It's been over 100 degrees for days now and without a very good a/c unit, I've had to get inventive to keep cool. Right now, wearing a wet t-shirt seems to the best solution. LOL. _

_My thoughts are with everyone who is dealing with the fires, including some of my friends who have been evacuated. The last I checked, there were no fires close to the studios where they shoot most of NCIS, but I still hope the cast and crew is being careful. Like I said, the smoke is bad enough for me in my room, I can't imagine them out filming in it. _

_I'm guessing there's going to be about 2-3 more chapters to this story, depending on how much I do with Tony and McGee's recovery. I want to give those two a little more time to bond and I figure nothing will do that more than them having to recover together. _

_Until then, here's the latest chapter. Enjoy!_

_-Moki_

Chapter Ten

"_You did good."_

---------------

At the ex-Marine's cry for help, one of the EMT's about to jump into the rig with Tony, turned. Seeing the unconscious agent now in Gibbs' arms, the man went into action. Grabbing a couple of bags, he jumped back out of the truck, turning to his partner inside.

"Go! Go! He's critical, get him out of here and call me another ambulance! Now!"

The other EMT nodded, slamming the door as the vehicle sped out sight with flashing lights and wailing sirens.

"What happened?" the EMT asked urgently, diving to McGee's side and immediately reaching for a pulse.

"I don't know, he just went down," Gibbs replied, frustrated with himself once again. He'd been so worried about Tony that he'd barely given McGee a second glance. He'd been yelling at the guy for five minutes, but had he even bothered to _look_ at him?

As Gibbs watched the EMT work, he saw the sweat on McGee's face and remembered the trembling hands that had to be pulled off of DiNozzo. Looking closer, he also noticed blood on the younger man's neck.

Before he could point it out, the EMT spotted the blood too. Reaching gently behind McGee's head, he found a wound from where the agent hit the pavement during Tony's flying tackle.

"Looks like we've got a head trauma, possible concussion and a dislocated shoulder," the man said, rattling off the injuries more to himself than anyone else. He opened his bags, pulling out various things to begin treating the agent's injuries.

Gibbs sat back and watched the man work, mentally cursing himself for not noticing the telltale signs of concussion. Lord knew Tony had had enough of them; Gibbs should have been an expert at spotting one by now.

"I think he's gonna be fine, the shock took him down more than anything," the EMT said as he touched Gibbs' shoulder to get his attention, noticing the team leader's obvious distress.

Hearing the second ambulance arriving, Gibbs could only nod thankfully to the man before getting up to direct it to their location. Once McGee was loaded, he wanted nothing more than to jump in with him. Anxious to keep an eye on McGee and to get to the hospital to see about Tony, Gibbs called the Director to check on his back-up team.

"Director, what is the ETA of my back-up?" he asked tersely, watching as the EMTs made some final adjustments and knowing they were only moments from leaving.

"They're about five minutes out. Are the LEO's there?" came Vance's reply through his cell phone.

"Yes," Gibbs replied. "They've been ordered to secure the scene and wait for the next team."

"Then go," Vance said. "Go see to your own team. Jacobson's team will take it for now."

Grateful, Gibbs hung up the phone without replying. Vance would understand. Yelling for the medics to hold up, he dove into the back of the ambulance.

On the way to the nearest trauma center, Gibbs studied his unconscious agent thoughtfully. It was a new experience for him. Not riding in an ambulance with an injured team mate, that was sadly a fairly normal occurrence. This was, however, the first time that he'd had to do it for McGee. So far his younger agent had kept himself mostly out of trouble. It seemed to be DiNozzo who always bore the brunt of the injuries on his team.

Gibbs thought about the fact that Tony hadn't escaped this time either. Once again, he'd been injured on the job, saving his partner in the process. Gibbs had to wonder if Tony's propensity for getting knocked around was connected to the fact that his other teammates hardly ever did. How many times had Tony brought trouble on himself to keep it away from the others? Gibbs realized that it was probably more than he or anyone else knew.

He'd often thought that his Senior Field Agent was a magnet for trouble. Now he realized that it may have been more a matter of choice than accident. In the exception of himself, Gibbs knew that no one cared more about the team than Tony.

Jenny had told him after his temporarily retirement that the team wouldn't have survived if it hadn't been for Tony. He'd held them together, continued their training (even teaching them some things Gibbs hadn't yet) and kept them all safe. Gibbs had noted that not one injury had been reported in Tony's time as team leader. It was a boast that Gibbs himself couldn't make.

Knowing how hard Tony had worked to keep his partner safe, Gibbs knew he wouldn't be happy to hear that McGee was hurt. He'd probably feel as badly as Gibbs did, even though he shouldn't.

As team leader, it was Gibbs who was responsible for the members of his team. Even stupidly brave Senior Field Agents who threw themselves in front of bullets to save their teammates. Tony might feel guilty but Gibbs knew that all the blame was on him. He was the one who let his annoyance override his gut. He was the one who sent two members of his team out on an assignment without bothering to check in on them.

So if anyone was looking to take the blame for the fiasco of having half his team hospitalized, Gibbs knew it was all on him. He wasn't going to let DiNozzo snatch any of it, no matter how hard the other man tried.

The ambulance arrived at the entrance to the trauma center and Gibbs jumped out first to get out of the way. After that, he was pushed aside until he was relegated to a waiting room.

Nearly an hour later, Gibbs paced the place like an expectant father in an old movie. McGee's condition was listed as serious but they wouldn't let Gibbs see him yet. Tony's condition was critical and he'd been rushed to surgery before Gibbs had arrived in the second ambulance. Now he was waiting for information on both of them and he was about ready to pull his hair out.

It was bad enough being in that position when a single member of his team was hurt. He was also frustrated to notice that when there were two, the stress and worry didn't seem to just double. It rose tenfold.

Before Gibbs had a chance to cause the ruckus he was contemplating, the elevator doors opened to admit a familiar face. Removing his hat and shaking it off to get rid of the rain that Gibbs hadn't even realized had started, Ducky smiled at his old friend.

"How are they?" he asked.

"No one will tell me anything Duck," Gibbs replied. He said no more, leaving the question hanging silently.

Ducky nodded understandingly, putting a hand on his friend's sleeve. "Not to worry, I'll go see if they'll tell me anything." Ducky said, turning to walk through the doors of the trauma center.

As the doors to trauma closed, the elevator next door beeped and opened on a crushed figure. Stumbling sadly in her platform boots, Abby's tear streaked face looked around the waiting room. When she found Gibbs, her face fell with a new onslaught of tears and she rushed to him.

"Tell me they're gonna be okay, Gibbs. Please tell me they're gonna be okay."

Gibbs wrapped his arms around her. "McGee's gonna be fine, just a concussion and a dislocated shoulder. Nothing serious," he replied, taking the EMT at his word and hoping it was true.

Abby smiled, backing away and wiping away her tears. "McGee's got a hard head, I'm sure he'll….." she paused, frowning as she realized Gibbs hadn't said anything about Tony.

"Tony?" she asked quietly.

"GSW to the back, possible collapsed lung, lost a lot of blood, he's in surgery now," Gibbs replied, not quite meeting her eyes.

Abby's eyes tears started once more and Gibbs held out his arms again, folding the younger woman into his chest.

"It's okay, Abs," he whispered into her hair reassuringly.

"No it's not," she said into the fabric of his shirt. "It's never okay. Why did Tony have to be hurt bad again? Why do the bad guys keep doing bad things to him? Tony's the nicest guy in the world, he'd never hurt a fly and they keep hurting him and…" she stopped as a sob bubbled up unbidden.

"Abs," Gibbs said, waiting for her stop before pulling her away so he could look at her. "Listen to me. DiNozzo's a tough guy, he can make it through this."

"But why Gibbs? Why does he have to make it through again?"

"Abby, Tony did a good thing tonight."

That caught Abby's attention and she looked into Gibbs' eyes curiously.

"What do you mean?"

"Tony took that bullet for McGee. If he hadn't, we'd all be mourning a death, not standing in a hospital waiting room."

"Really? Tony did that?" Abby sniffled.

"Tony made a choice. He knew what it meant and he took a chance. Now we just gotta wait and see if his gamble paid off. DiNozzo's too stubborn to lose a fight this easily." He gave her shoulders a reassuring squeeze.

Abby wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, a grin showing through her tears.

"You're right about that. I don't think there's anyone more stubborn than him….except maybe you, Gibbs," she planted a kiss on his cheek and gave him an extra hard hug. Then the two of them sat down to wait. Gibbs would never admit it to anyone, but he was happy for the company. He much preferred having Abby there, rather than waiting for word on his men alone.

Another fifteen minutes went by and both of them looked up when the doors to trauma opened and Ducky came out. He held both hands up reassuringly.

"Young Timothy regained consciousness shortly after being admitted and they were able to determine that there is probably no permanent damage from the knock to the head he took. He's got a concussion but they've reset his shoulder and he's resting comfortably. They want to keep him for a couple days to run some more tests and make sure there is no skull fracture. That young man certainly does seem to have a hard head, but we can't be too careful," he said with a smile.

Abby and Gibbs both visibly relaxed. Knowing Abby probably wasn't up for it, Gibbs asked the hard question.

"Tony?"

Ducky cleared his throat and his smile faltered a little. "Yes well, Anthony's condition is a tad more serious. He's out of surgery now. The good news is that there was no collapsed lung but he did lose a lot of blood. They had to transfuse two units in the operating room and his heart did stop once." At Abby's gasp, Gibbs put his arm around her shoulders.

"Now Abigail, please don't worry. Anthony's very strong and he came out of surgery beautifully. He's still critical but they hope to have him upgraded to serious condition in the morning. I'm sure he's going to be fine," Ducky told her reassuringly. The ME also looked at Gibbs, wanting to make sure the team leader got the reassurance as well.

"Can we see him?" Gibbs asked and Ducky nodded. "Yes, only one is allowed with him at a time though so…" he hesitated, not wanting a fight on his hands as to who would get to see Tony first. Abby immediately stepped out of Gibbs' arm and pushed him towards the door.

"You go first, Bossman. Tony needs you," she turned to the ME. "Can I see McGee?"

"Yes, of course. I believe he's probably asleep but I'm sure they'll let us peek in on him," Ducky replied, taking Abby's arm into his own.

The three of them split up, Abby and Ducky heading down one hall to visit McGee while Gibbs went to the critical unit. He showed his credentials and was guided to a nurse's station surrounded by rooms made of glass. Each one held a critical patient, the glass walls allowing the staff to observe their charges at all times.

Gibbs was pointed to a room in a corner and he entered quietly. They were only letting him in for a minute and he didn't bother to sit down. Standing by the bed, Gibbs watched the machines. Due to the time of night, all of the lights had been turned down and the place was nearly silent except for the murmurs from the staff at the station.

Tony wasn't on a breathing tube and Gibbs was grateful as it meant that the man was strong enough to breathe on his own. Feeling like he'd been in this position more times than should be allowed in a single man's career, he sighed slightly.

"McGee's fine, DiNozzo," Gibbs began, somehow knowing that if Tony were awake his first question would be about his partner.

Then, feeling the need to acknowledge what Tony had done that night, Gibbs said something he probably wouldn't have had the man been awake.

"You did good."


	11. Chapter 11

_Hi folks!_

_So sorry for not replying to any reviews this time. My excuse is a terrible one but nonetheless the truth. That heatwave/fire last week made me so miserable that I wasn't replying to anyone about anything. When I got back to the world of the living, my inbox was full and I decided to work on this next chapter rather than spending the time to reply to everyone. _

_I figured y'all would appreciate a new chapter more. ;o)_

_Once again, thanks for all the reviews, messages, alerts, favorites, etc. I love every single one of them. _

_So here's the new chapter. I'm thinking maybe one or two more chapters and this story is done. I know how I want to end it, now I'm just figuring out how to get there. LOL._

_Enjoy!_

_-Moki_

_----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Chapter Eleven

"_Me too, DiNozzo. Me too."_

--------------

As he stood there by the bed, Gibbs almost swore he saw Tony's demeanor change after he said those words. Tony didn't move, didn't awake, but Gibbs thought he saw the other man relax slightly. It wasn't much, but Gibbs knew that he'd been heard.

"Get well, that's an order. I need my Senior Field Agent back," he smiled slightly, knowing how much Tony loved it when he called him that, which he did very rarely.

A nurse came to the doorway then, looking at him pointedly, and he knew his time was up. Acknowledging her with a nod, he reached out a gentle hand and put it on Tony's head. "I have to go. Be back as soon as I can."

Once again he felt the reaction from the other man, a relaxation of muscles, a slight sigh in his breathing. Tony had heard him and understood.

Gibbs got back to the waiting room, finding Ducky and Abby already there.

"Can I see Tony?" Abby asked.

"He's asleep but I think they'll let you in, just show them your credentials and tell them you're on my team." Gibbs replied.

As Abby went on her way, Gibbs followed Ducky back to McGee's room. Already feeling drained, he didn't know how he would handle seeing a second agent injured on his team. Luckily when they walked in the room, they found McGee looking a lot better than he had earlier.

McGee's arm was bound securely in a sling, his head wrapped in a bandage. His color was much improved, thanks to the line in his arm supplying him with the fluids he needed. He was on concussion watch, but the nurse had been in to check on him not that long ago. He was being allowed to sleep comfortably for the moment.

Ducky stayed back, allowing Gibbs to walk up to the bed.

The team leader felt strangely awkward. Surprised, he found that he didn't quite know what to say to the younger man. Gibbs had known instinctively what to say to Tony, his gut always knowing exactly what the feisty Italian needed to hear when he was down. Whether it was gruff reassurance, an order to survive or even a soft headslap, he had no trouble knowing what to do when it came to DiNozzo.

It puzzled him that he didn't have the same response with McGee injured. Perhaps it was because he felt slightly out of place. McGee had a father, Gibbs had spoken to the man just after arriving at the hospital. Both of his parents were being given updates from the nurses on their son's condition and the two of them would be there as soon as they could.

He didn't just feel out of place, Gibbs also felt unnecessary. McGee didn't need kind words and reassurances from him. His parents would be there soon to provide those. He didn't need a pseudo father, not like Tony did.

As Gibbs stood there looking at the younger man sleeping, he realized that there was something that McGee might need from him. Something that his parents couldn't provide.

He may not be the younger man's father but he was his team leader. His mentor. Right then, McGee might be seeking something other than being told he was going to be okay. He just might need to hear that his partner was okay, too. After all, it was the last thing he'd been worried about when he'd gone down.

It was also the one thing that his own father couldn't tell him.

Leaning forward, Gibbs touched McGee's uninjured arm, repeating almost the same words that he had just said to Tony a few minutes ago.

"Tony's gonna be okay, McGee. You did good. Both of you did good."

Just as he had with Tony, Gibbs was sure that he felt McGee relax under his hand. The younger man sighed in his sleep. He too had heard Gibbs and understood.

In the doorway, Ducky smiled.

--------------

Abby went looking for Tony and soon was being told by a severe looking nurse that she could only stay a minute, but she would be allowed to see the injured man.

Walking into the room, Abby thought how small Tony looked lying under the light hospital blanket. His long frame was laid out on the bed and looked nothing like the vigorous man who came to her lab and played along with her silly games. His breathing was slow and even, wires connected to almost every piece of flesh she could see. Machines beeped softly from either side of the bed.

Even though he was lying right there in front of her, standing in that room made Abby miss Tony even more. It felt like the person in the bed was someone else and she wanted the old Tony back.

Opening her purse, Abby walked closer to the bed and pulled out a fluffy object.

"I brought you someone to keep you company and watch over you until you wake up," she said, looking around for a place to put the item. Not wanting to disturb anything, she finally settled for the tall rolling table at the end of the bed.

"He'll guard you and help keep you safe." Abby said quietly, walking up to the head of the bed. Leaning down ever so slowly she placed the gentlest of kisses on her friend's forehead.

"See you soon," she whispered.

---------------

Tony's eyes opened and his foggy vision slowly focused. He blinked as the images swam, waiting for them to settle down. When they did, he saw something that made him smile. Sitting at the end of his bed, perched right in the center of the table was a familiar sight.

"Hey Bert," he whispered.

Then he heard a voice that made his smile grow wider.

"Nice of you to join us, DiNozzo."

Tony turned his head, wincing as he accidentally moved more of his body than he should have. The motion catching wires, stitches and pulling on his sore shoulder. Forcing himself to be still and only move his head, he found Gibbs sitting in the chair next to his bed.

"Hey Boss."

Gibbs put down the paper he'd only been pretending to read, watching as Tony looked around the room, obviously looking for someone.

"McGee? He's okay, right?"

Gibbs nodded, wondering how much Tony remembered from their rather one-sided conversation earlier. "Dislocated shoulder, crack to the head and a concussion, gonna be fine. He's down the hall."

Tony sighed in relief. "Good. I knew you'd kill me if he didn't come back in one piece."

Why Tony didn't think that he'd also kill McGee if Tony himself hadn't come back in one piece, he didn't know, but Gibbs chose to ignore that for the moment.

"You did good, Tony," Gibbs said quietly, wanting to make sure that his Senior Field Agent heard it for sure that time.

Tony smiled wide. "Why Boss, was that an actual compliment I just heard?"

"Don't get used to it," Gibbs said, sitting back in his chair and reaching for his coffee.

A nurse came in then and seeing the patient awake, called in a doctor to check on Tony. With all the hustle and bustle, Gibbs slipped out of the room to check on his other agent.

He found Abby sitting in the chair by McGee's bed, her head lolled back and arms hanging loosely by her sides. She was snoring softly and Gibbs couldn't hide his grin as he caught McGee's eye.

"Hope she didn't wake you," Gibbs said, tipping his head at the figure in the chair.

McGee started to shake his head, then thought better of it as pain made sparks go off behind his eyes.

"No, the nurse woke me up a few minutes ago for another concussion check. Abby didn't even budge," he replied with a smile for his dozing companion.

Thinking that Abby would probably prefer being awake to being talked about, Gibbs gently touched her shoulder.

"Huh…..what?" Abby snapped awake and sat up straight. Seeing McGee's shy smile from the bed, she launched out of her chair.

Fully aware that the last thing the younger man needed just then was one of Abby's patented bone-crushing hugs, Gibbs caught her just in time. "Hey, down tiger. How many times have I told you he's not a toy, Abs?"

Giggling, Abby let herself be restrained. "Okay Bossman, I'll be gentle, promise. Permission to hug the invalid?"

Nodding in approval, Gibbs let her go. "Granted."

As Abby's arms were wrapped carefully and gently around his neck, McGee grumbled good naturedly. "Aren't you supposed to ask the hug-ee that, Abs?"

Once Abby was reassured that McGee was okay, she turned back to Gibbs.

"Is Tony awake?"

"Yes," Abby made to launch herself from the room and once again, Gibbs grabbed her just in time. "but," he held up a finger. "you keep the hugs down to less than bone-crushing, got it?"

"Yes, sir!" she replied, saluting him with the wrong hand as always.

"Don't call me sir, Abs," Gibbs replied absently.

"Yes, ma'am!" and she was out the door before Gibbs could do more than shake his head.

Walking over to the bed, Gibbs took up residence in the chair just vacated by his forensic scientist. "How you feeling, McGee?"

"Okay, Boss." McGee replied.

Gibbs knew what was coming next and sure enough, McGee didn't disappoint.

"Is Tony okay?"

"Fine. Had some touch and go moments last night but made it through surgery and is getting stronger by the minute."

"He saved me."

"I know. You saved him to. You did good, McGee." Once again, Gibbs wanted to be sure the younger man heard it that time.

Gibbs was beginning to think that it might be easier to have both his men in one room. After all, if they were going to keep asking how the other was doing, it might be easier if they could just ask each other.

-------------

A few hours later, Gibbs got his wish. After being sent back and forth between Tony and McGee's rooms with messages from each of them, the doctors and nurses decided they'd had enough. The doctors observed that rather than allowing them to rest, keeping the two men separated was apparently just stressing them out more.

"Now, we don't usually do this," the nurse said, pushing Tony's wheelchair down the hall. "I mean usually an ICU patient isn't moved to this ward for at least 24 hours. But since you two are making us crazy, we've decided to stick you in with Agent McGee."

Tony hid his grin, not wanting to let anyone know how happy the arrangement made him. Not only because he never liked being in the ICU unit (too many people watching your every move), but he was also looking forward to seeing his partner for himself. Despite Abby's and the nurses' fervent promises that the younger agent was fine, Tony wanted to make sure.

Plus, it would be way more entertaining having the Probie to play with, rather than being cooped up all by himself.

"McGoo!" Tony called happily, as he was wheeled in to the room.

McGee smiled slightly, not so sure if he liked the new arrangement but thinking that company would be nice. Abby had to gone back to work and Gibbs would be leaving soon. He had heard that his parents were coming, but he hadn't seen them yet. McGee finally understood why Tony and Gibbs seemed to avoid hospitals at all costs, even going so far as to allow Ducky to treat minor injuries in autopsy. Truthfully he hadn't been looking forward to a long night alone. Maybe having DiNozzo there would make him feel a little better.

"Hey Tony."

A doctor followed behind the nurse and between the two of them, they got Tony settled into bed and hooked up to an impressive array of machinery.

"You know, I think I might need my oil changed and a tire rotation. Think you guys can handle that too?" Tony asked with a wink for the nurse, eyeing the various pieces of equipment.

She smiled back, tucking the blankets around him. "Just be happy you don't need the foley catheter any more."

Tony actually looked embarrassed, his face reddening ever so slightly. "Good point."

After the medical staff left, the two man sat in an uncomfortable silence for a few minutes. In a way, they'd been "speaking" all day – sending messages back and forth through nurses, Abby, Ducky and even Gibbs.

Being in the same room felt odd though and both men suddenly found they didn't know what to say. So much had happened in the past 48 hours, what could they say after that?

Finally deciding enough was enough, Tony opened his mouth to speak. Across the room, McGee chose that exact moment to do the same.

"Thanks."

Both men chuckled as they realized they'd said it at the same time.

"I mean it, McGee."

"Me too, Tony."

"Then we're even."

"Looks that way."

"Good, cuz the last thing I wanted was to have to be in your debt, Probie."

McGee grinned wider, happy that the awkwardness was over. He was also happy that his anger had evaporated too.

"Me too, DiNozzo. Me too."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

"_Guess we're stuck with each other a little longer, Probie."_

-------------

Once Tony was settled in his new room, Gibbs knew that he should leave. He'd been at the hospital for over 24 hours and now that both men were stable, there was really no reason for him to stay.

Ducky arrived just after visiting hours to find his old friend standing in the hallway near the room now shared by half of his team.

"Jethro? Is everything alright?" Ducky asked with concern.

"Yeah Duck, everything's fine," Gibbs replied and as Ducky got closer he saw how tired the other man looked.

"I think it's time you left, Jethro. There's no need for you to stay right now. You need to get some rest. Those boys will be fine until tomorrow."

Gibbs wanted to argue, but found that he had nothing to say. The older man was right.

"My car's not here Duck, do you think you could…?"

Ducky smiled and put a hand on Jethro's shoulder. "Give you a ride home? Why of course, Jethro."

Down the hall, Tony and McGee had just been given their final checks of the night (well at least until the next shift of nurses came in to look in on them again). Both men were exhausted and McGee was relieved that Tony hadn't even had the energy to talk about the movie that had been on tv while they ate dinner.

As soon as the nurse left, both of them went straight to sleep. They'd never admit it anyone, but they were each strangely comforted by the other's presence.

The next morning Abby walked down the hallway and heard unusual sounds coming from the room shared by both of her friends. It sounded like yelling and she quickened her pace thinking that she was going to have to prevent a double homicide. She thought the two of them had worked out their differences being stuck in the warehouse. Now she wasn't so sure.

"Stop it, McGee! You're killing me!" Tony said in obvious distress.

"I will if you will, Tony," McGee replied almost coldly.

The Goth practically charged into the room and came upon a sight she didn't expect. Both men were bent over in pain and having trouble breathing, tears running down their faces. Before she could press the call button for a nurse, she quickly realized that it was from mirth.

"What is going on in here?" she demanded, stomping her foot with her hands on her hips. "Just what do you two think you're doing?"

"He started it," McGee said through more laughter, wiping his eyes and trying to catch his breath as he pointed an accusing finger at Tony.

Reassured that the two weren't ready to kill each other anytime soon, Abby relaxed and took a seat between them.

"Alright Tony, what did you start this time?"

"Hey don't blame me. I just started out with an innocent story. It's not my fault it got out of hand," Tony replied defensively.

Abby simply raised her eyebrows and cocked her head sideways, waiting for an explanation.

"Tony was telling me about the funniest thing that happened to him while….um…..," McGee hesitated and Tony groaned, rolling his eyes dramatically.

"Oh come on, McGee! What're you, a four year old? Sex. Just say it. S – E – X."

"Okay fine," the younger man grinned over at his partner in the opposite bed. "We were swapping stories about the funniest things that ever happened to us while having sex."

"Really?" Abby was intrigued. "So what was the story?"

The two men didn't reply, exchanging sheepish glances, and Abby looked at them expectantly.

"What? Aw c'mon I wanna hear all about…..wait," Abby suddenly frowned suspiciously, standing up and looking at McGee with a glare that could bore through a brick wall. "This story wouldn't have anything to do with _me_, would it?"

"Uh oh Probie, you're in trouble now." Tony chuckled, putting a hand on his shoulder absently as the laughter brought on an ache.

"No, of course not," McGee replied quickly, holding up his good hand to fend off the Goth.

"Okay" Abby sat back down in the empty chair between the beds, folding her legs under her with an eager smile. "Do tell, then."

Twenty minutes later Gibbs walked down the hallway, carrying a cup of coffee. He heard the laughter before he got to the door and there was no doubt which room was the cause of it. He allowed himself an indulgent smile before schooling his features to an appropriate frown. He didn't want to ruin their fun but both of those men needed rest, especially Tony, so he was going to have to put a stop to the party.

"Abs," Gibbs said, entering the room at the end of a particularly harrowing and racy tale from Tony. "The doctors want these two to rest."

"Hey, don't blame me. They started it before I got here." Abby protested, hooking her thumbs to point to both beds and their occupants.

"That true?" Gibbs asked both of his men. Suddenly he thought that they had never looked more like little boys, especially with the matching hand-caught-in-the-cookie-jar looks.

"He started it!" McGee and DiNozzo said in unison, both of them pointing at the other. Abby was still pointing at them too and Gibbs had to really fight hard to hold back a bark of laughter. Since when did he end up with three children?

After shooing Abby out of the room and back to her lab and ensuring that both of his agents seemed fine, Gibbs went back to the Navy yard.

When he returned later in the evening, he once again heard voices coming from the room. These were new voices, but Gibbs had a feeling he knew who they were. When he walked into the room his suspicions were confirmed.

McGee looked up when he entered. "Boss, I'd like you meet my parents. This is my dad, Sergeant George McGee and my mother, Maureen."

McGee's father was not quite was Gibbs expected. Even without the introduction, Gibbs would have instantly known the man was ex military. He held out a hand and had a firm, no-nonsense grip. "I'm retired, you can call me George," he said as his wife came up behind him. She took his hand lightly but Gibbs somehow felt that this was no weak woman. "Please call me Moe, everyone does."

Once the introductions were over, Gibbs joined in on the conversation, mostly consisting of stories about Tim's many misadventures as a child. Tony seemed to be enjoying the younger man's embarrassment, asking for more details whenever he could.

As Gibbs observed the proceedings, he noted more behind Tony's questions than the mere desire to embarrass his partner. Tony was seeking to know what it was like to have grown up living the kind of life McGee had.

He watched as Tony laughed and joked with McGee's parents, the DiNozzo charm on full blast. Gibbs wasn't fooled. With each passing moment he felt the agent's melancholy emanating from him. McGee and his parents didn't seem to notice it all and he couldn't blame them. Only someone who knew (and understood) Tony's pain would know that it was there.

Gibbs had been there once. Not long after losing his family he had been invited to a friend's house for a family barbeque. There he had seen a painful glimpse to a life he no longer had as he'd talked with the man's gracious wife and played with his rambunctious daughter. Just like DiNozzo, he had worked hard on the mask. He was sure that the happy family had no idea just how hard the evening had been for him.

After that, Gibbs always managed to be busy on the nights they had barbeques.

Sitting quietly in the corner, Gibbs could see DiNozzo's walls beginning to crumble. Perhaps it was pain of his injuries, the drugs or just the seemingly endless stories the doting parents told about their loving son. Either way, Gibbs knew he had to end it.

Making a great show of looking at his watch, Gibbs rose from the window sill where he'd been leaning. "Got an early day tomorrow," he said simply.

George and Moe rose too. "Oh my goodness, I had no idea how late it was. Visiting hours are about over," Moe said, reaching down to give her son a hug. "You get some sleep, you hear me Tim?"

McGee nodded obediently, "Goodnight mom, see you guys tomorrow."

The McGee's said goodbye to Tony and after wishing him well, both left. Gibbs escorted them to the elevator and then returned to the room briefly. He found McGee happy and relaxed, watching a movie on tv while Tony stared quietly out the window. The younger man had yet to notice anything wrong with his partner. Tony wouldn't appreciate any attention being brought to him so Gibbs held his peace. Lord knew he wouldn't if he were in Tony's shoes.

Gibbs briefly wished that the men weren't sharing a room. He wasn't sure what he would say, but he could have at least tried to talk to him. As it was, he knew there was no chance of saying anything to Tony. Hoping that a good night's sleep would heal all, Gibbs had no choice but to leave things as they were.

---------

The next morning started early for Gibbs with the shrill ringing of his phone. Momentarily frightened that something had happened to one or both of his men, he grabbed it quickly.

Twenty minutes later he was getting into his car and driving to the hospital. Nothing was wrong with his men, but he still had news to deliver to one of them. As he grew closer to the room, he could make out McGee's voice.

"….more day and I'm out of here. Never thought I'd be happy to be going home to my parents but at least it beats being in the hospital."

Gibbs entered then, not exactly sure how to break the news. Before he could say anything, Tony spoke up from his bed. Gibbs was worried to see that he looked pretty much the same as he had the night before. Apparently hearing that not only was his partner getting released before he was, but also had a family to look after him, wasn't doing the Italian much good.

"Change in plans, McGee."

"What?" McGee asked, puzzled. "But I talked to my dad last night and they said the docs gave them the okay to take me home so long as I had someone around to help me so I don't strain my shoulder and…"

"Sorry Tim, your dad called me first thing this morning. Your grandmother took a fall last night. Nothing too serious but they had to fly out to see her in the hospital. Right now they don't know when they'll be back."

"My sister.." McGee began, hoping maybe she'd be able to take him in or at least come live with him so that the doctors would agree to let him go home.

"She's in Europe, remember? Some sort of college exchange student program."

"Oh right," McGee had completely forgotten about that.

"So what now?" McGee asked, hoping that they weren't suggesting he stay in the hospital any longer. He didn't know what he would do if he had nowhere to go and no one to take care of him. How horrible would that be….?

As McGee's mind formed the thought, he suddenly realized that the very thing he was dreading was also the very thing his partner was facing. Tony had no family to take care of him. Since the docs weren't going to release him either unless he did, he had nowhere to go either.

Wanting to kick himself (or slap himself in the back of the head, considering present company), McGee realized how terrible it must have been for Tony to hang out with his parents the previous night. He'd been completely fooled by the other man's act and it made him sick that he hadn't seen through it.

The more he thought about it, the more McGee realized that Tony had been quiet and contemplative ever since. The fact that the other man hadn't ragged on him once since his parents had left should have clued him in, but he'd been so excited about getting out that he hadn't given the other man a single thought.

Now he looked over at his partner, noticing that Tony's eyes were still looking out the window.

Still in the doorway, Gibbs watched McGee. He read the younger man's thoughts as they passed over his face as clearly as if he'd spoken them aloud. McGee had finally picked up on what he himself had noted last night. Before McGee could say anything, Gibbs spoke up.

"Looks like I'm just gonna have to deal with both of you," Gibbs said, watching for Tony's reaction. Sure enough, at his words, the other man finally looked up from his quiet reverie.

"Boss?" Tony was puzzled.

"Guess I'll just have to deal with both of you now."

Tony and McGee traded surprised glances.

"Both of us?" Tony asked hesitantly.

"Well yeah DiNozzo, unless you've got other plans. Already talked to the docs last night about letting you go home to your own place. They only agreed after Duck, Abs and I gave them a schedule of who would be with you, and when. Don't see why we all can't handle you too, McGee. We'll just stick you both in Tony's place and keep the same schedule. I'll need you both ready to go at oh seven hundred tomorrow morning, got it?"

"Yes Boss," McGee replied.

"DiNozzo?" Gibbs queried, unable to read the look on his Senior Field Agent's face. "You got a problem with this?"

"No, Boss." Tony's expression was changing by the second as his mind processed what he was being told. Gibbs had talked to the docs last night? He wasn't going to be left all alone in the hospital? People had been talking about him? People cared about where he went and who would be taking care of him? These were things he hadn't considered.

"Good. See you both tomorrow."

After Gibbs walked out, Tony seemed to finally snap completely out of his thoughts. Turning to his partner, he grinned for the first time that morning.

"Guess we're stuck with each other a little longer, Probie."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Hi folks!_

_So there it is, chapter twelve done. I was surprised at how many of you wanted Tony to meet McGee's parents so I hope y'all enjoyed their brief appearance in this chapter. _

_Only one more chapter left to go and I promise (pinky swear!!!) that it will be done and up before the premiere of season 7 next week. I'm so excited!_

_Be sure to check out my blog after it airs for my review of the episode. Two new reviews are up there right now, one for the Supernatural season premiere (ep 5.01 -"Sympathy For The Devil") and my very first book review! The book was written by one of our very own authors so you might want to check it out. :o)_


	13. Chapter 13

_Well folks, I said I'd be updating my last chapter before the season premiere and I know I'm cutting it close for those of you on the east coast of the US but here it is. _

_I've had so much fun writing this story and was so happy that so many of you enjoyed it. This last chapter is pretty much nothing but fluff written purely for my own amusement and I hope y'all like it as much as I liked writing it. _

_I have two new stories in the works. The first is my next Tony/Gibbs (with Tony whump of course) story, featuring the guys on horseback for at least part of it. _

_Then I'm planning something special for my favorite holiday that is just around the corner - Halloween!! That one will be a sequel of sorts to my NCIS/Supernatural crossover - "Mustangs and Impalas". It will take place around Halloween and I'll be bringing together Tony and Dean once again. This time for a much longer story. Probably gonna have some whump for both of them (since I can't seem to help myself) and lots of fun/scary goodness to celebrate the holiday. _

_So stay tuned for both. The Halloween story I am planning to post near the end of October. As it will already be complete, I plan to post one chapter per day leading up to Halloween. _

_In the meantime, hope y'all enjoy this last chapter and everyone have fun watching the premiere tonight!! Woohoo!_

---------------------------

Chapter Thirteen

"_Wouldn't have it any other way……Probie." _

-----------------------

The next morning when Gibbs arrived he found two very eager men awaiting him. Even after only a couple days in the hospital they were both tired of it and eager to get out. Tony was very happy to be going to his own place and while Tim would have preferred his own home too, he was simply content to be out of a place where he had to wear a gown.

Abby had picked up clothes for both of them to wear home and both men were comfortable in sweats and t-shirts. Though it had been anything but an easy transition. While trying to change, both of them found that while the backless hospital gowns were embarrassing, they were at least convenient when one only had a single working arm. After a lot of groans and complaints, they'd discovered the need for teamwork.

"Ow, that hurt Probie," Tony had complained as McGee tugged his shirt into place and readjusted his sling.

"Sorry."

"No worries. Alright, your turn," and McGee immediately sat down to make it easy on the other man to help with his shirt.

It was this sight that greeted Gibbs as he entered the room.

"They have nurses for that, you know," he said with amusement.

Both men turned to him, McGee's arm still halfway through his shirt. Tony pulled it into place, ignoring McGee's groans, and then adjusted his sling.

"Well Boss, we thought about that but decided we'd better figure out how to do this on our own," Tony replied when he was done.

"We're not going to have nurses around forever," McGee added, looking much more comfortable now that his arm was in a position that didn't scream in agony.

Gibbs nodded approvingly, glad that they had worked it out between them. They had a point. The sooner they figured it out on their own, the better.

"Alright gentlemen, are we ready to go?" Ducky came into the room flanked by two large orderlies driving wheelchairs. He apparently was expecting resistance to the chairs, if the immense size of the men with him were any indication.

Tony and McGee exchanged looks. They'd discussed vetoing the normal wheeled exit required of all patients, figuring that Gibbs would probably let them get away with it. Neither of them had anticipated the ME's appearance. Nor the large men with him for that matter.

"Hey," Gibbs said, tilting his head to the chairs. "Let's go."

Knowing they had no choice now, both men sighed and got into the chairs.

When they got to the parking lot it was all Tony could do to not get up and run when he saw what was waiting for them. "Oh cool, Boss. You brought the Challenger? Check it out, Probie."

McGee grinned back at his partner, obviously just as happy with their ride.

Gibbs and Ducky shared a brief smile. The choice of getaway vehicle had been a purposeful one and both were glad that it was paying off so handsomely.

Once they were situated; Ducky in the front passenger seat and Tony and McGee in the back, they were on their way.

When they got to Tony's apartment, both men saw just how much their bodies weren't quite up to normal. Tasks like simply walking up a flight of stairs and down the hall from the elevator taking a lot more energy than it should.

Luckily Ducky and Gibbs had expected this and both were ready to offer their help. Ducky took hold of McGee's elbow and Gibbs did the same for Tony, helping them the last few steps.

Tony automatically went for his keys when he realized that of course they weren't on him. "Boss, I don't have…"

Just then the door opened and Abby came flying out.

"You're here! You're here!"

"Yes Abby, we've made it all in one piece. Now please help us get these two inside before they collapse on us," Ducky said with a chuckle for her enthusiasm.

Tony and McGee both looked like they were ready to protest, but thought against it. Neither of them really had the energy to argue, which only proved Ducky's point.

A few minutes later they were settled on Tony's couch. Glasses of juice and water had been provided, and Abby was working on the final touches of their breakfast. They were instructed to stay right where they were and she would bring it to them. After a few days of bland hospital food, the men ate eagerly while Abby watched them like a hawk.

"Abs, do you have to watch us like that?" Tony asked, eyeing her over his last forkful. Eating with his left hand was difficult enough as it was, let alone with a steely eyed Goth watching his every move.

"I can't help it. I just want to make sure you're both okay."

"We're fine Abs," McGee said, finishing the last bit of his food.

Tony looked over jealously. They both had slings on their right arms but McGee was much better off since he was left-handed. He'd had no trouble eating, unlike his unfortunate partner.

Once the men were fed, Ducky gave them each a once-over to make sure all was well. He checked Tony's bandage on his back and McGee's stitches on his head.

"Well Duck?" Gibbs asked from the corner of the room where he'd stood during the exams.

"Everything is fine, Jethro," Ducky said, smiling both for his patients and their protective Papa Bear.

Abby did the dishes and made sandwiches for them to eat for lunch. Then she, Gibbs and Ducky left for the Navy Yard, leaving Tony and McGee alone for the moment.

Walking back from what felt like a ten mile walk to the bathroom, Tony entered the living room a little while later.

"Well Probie, whattya feel like doing now? I've got about a zillion DVD's. Tell you what, since you're my guest, I'll let you have first pick," he said as he settled himself on the couch.

"Okay," McGee replied, curious to see what Tony had and hoping it wasn't all horror movies. He went to get up from the couch and found it not as easy as he thought. Up to that point they'd had Gibbs or Ducky around to haul them to their feet. The couch was deep and the cushions extra thick. Getting up would be no easy task.

"What's the matter, McGee?" Tony asked, wondering if his partner was hurting worse than he thought.

"I don't think I can get up," McGee finally admitted with embarrassment.

"Seriously?" Tony laughed. "Here McStucky, I'll help you……uh….." Tony paused.

"What?" McGee asked.

"I don't think I can either."

Without two working arms and upper bodies that were sore and aching, neither of them could pull themselves up or just launch themselves out of their seats.

"Well, this is interesting," Tony said finally.

"I guess that's one word for it," McGee replied.

"Okay Probie, I think I've got an idea. We'll use something I learned when I took the para-troop class."

"What?" McGee was suspicious.

Tony turned his body sideways until he was facing McGee and then held out his good hand. Still curious, McGee copied his partner's movements until he too was sitting sideway. Then he took hold of the proffered hand.

"Alright so we're gonna each use our own resistance and pull each other up in one smooth movement, got it?"

McGee immediately saw the logic behind the suggestion and nodded. "Got it."

"One……two……three!" and with that they both pulled hard and were soon standing. Realizing just how ridiculous they looked, both burst into laughter.

"That's gonna make every trip to the bathroom much more interesting," Tony finally gasped out.

"No kidding."

McGee finally searched through the movies and settling on an old World War II flick, they sat back down to watch. Both of them had seen it a few times and soon McGee turned to his partner.

"So you went to a paratroop class? When?"

"My second year with Gibbs, before you came along. We were on a case where a guy jumped out of a plane but his 'chute didn't open and he landed, kersplat, into a car."

"Ouch." McGee winced in sympathy.

"Yep. I remember when Kate got there she was so shocked she thought it was a joke."

"Really? Kate?"

"Well it was her first official case with us. She hadn't yet learned just how interesting NCIS cases can get."

McGee chuckled softly and for a few moments, both of them were silent, each of them remembering their fallen friend in their own way.

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After surviving the entire day together, the men were treated to another home cooked meal by Abby, another exam by Ducky and lots of growling from Gibbs.

Once the trio had left again, McGee settled onto the couch which had been folded out and made into a bed for him. Tony was in his own room and soon the apartment became quiet as the two exhausted men finally gave in to sleep.

The same schedule played itself out for the next day or two. Eventually only one nursemaid came to check in on them at a time – Abby, Gibbs and Ducky each taking turns.

Tony and McGee became quite proficient at their "heave-ho" technique to help each other get up whenever the need arose. McGee's shoulder was healing faster than Tony's (bullet holes tended to take longer than dislocations, according to Ducky), but both of them would still require slings for a while longer.

They got into a routine, each helping the other into and out of the slings in the morning before and after their showers, hauling each other off the couch when needed.

On day two, Abby brought over McGee's Xbox and the two of them set it up on Tony's impressive entertainment system. Tony was definitely at a disadvantage, not only playing the Elf Lord himself but also playing left-handed. But after a day or two, he got the hang of it enough to give the reining champ a run for his money.

Abby walked in later that evening to the sounds of yelling.

"Aw, c'mon! You wimp! Why'd you let him shoot you like that?" Tony was yelling.

"Tony you can't blame your men from running away, mine are just better," Tim replied smugly.

Abby walked into the living room and found the two of them concentrating hard on the screen in front of them. Screams, gunshots and other sounds of war were blaring from the tv, the images on the screen matching the sounds.

"Jeesh you two! You just had, like, a _real _gun battle not that long ago. Tony you just got a bullet taken out of you, for goodness sakes. Why in the world would you want to play that stuff??"

"Because it's fun," they both replied in unison, barely looking up from their controllers.

Abby laughed and went into the kitchen, unable to fight that logic.

---------------------

After a week, McGee's shoulder was nearly healed and though not healed, Tony's was very much on the mend.

"Well my dear boy, I'd say you're well enough to go home on your own. Another few days off work and I'll give you my okay to return to light desk duty," Ducky said after McGee's exam.

Tony opened his mouth, but Gibbs beat him to the punch. "Don't even think about asking DiNozzo. Bullet holes take longer, you know that. When Ducky says you're ready, that's when you'll get to go back, not a second sooner. You got it?"

"What? Did I say anything?" Tony looked between the two men, feigning as much innocence as he could muster.

"You didn't have to Anthony. I'm afraid it's written all over your face," Ducky replied, closing his bag and getting up to leave. "But don't worry, you're doing quite well. I'd say just another week or so and I'll be able to approve you for light desk duty too."

Tony tried not to look disappointed. Not only was he still going to be stuck at home, the Probie was going back to work before him. There was something just so inherently…wrong about that.

McGee packed his things together. "I'll leave the Xbox here for you, Tony," he said, detecting the sadness from his partner. Truthfully it felt a little strange to be leaving after all their time together. He'd gotten used to having someone around all the time.

"Tell ya what, how about I come by every day after work and kick your ass?" McGee said, indicating the game console.

Tony grinned wide. "Oh, you're on Probie. I'm gonna practice every day while you're toiling away at work. Be prepared to be annihilated."

McGee smiled back and paused at the door. Ducky, Gibbs and Abby were waiting in hallway to take him home and he turned to them quickly.

"Gimme a second, will ya guys? I'll be right down."

The three nodded and went down to the car. Gibbs hesitated an extra second before walking to the elevator. He had been planning on coming back to check in on Tony after they took McGee home, knowing how much the older man would be upset at not being allowed to go to work yet. But as he watched McGee head back into the apartment he suddenly knew that his services wouldn't be needed this time.

After all their troubles, his two "boys" had seemingly worked things out. Whatever McGee was going to say to Tony, Gibbs was sure that it would be all the other man would need to be okay.

With a proud smile, he strode to the elevator, happy that the men on his team were working well together again. He knew they'd still need him. They probably always would, but for tonight they were handling things themselves and that made him happy.

Tony was just deciding what to do with the rest of his night when McGee came back into the room and he looked up in surprise. McGee didn't say anything for a few moments and Tony cocked his head at his partner.

"Something up, McGee?"

McGee hesitated, clearing his throat. "I just wanted you to know that I….uh…figured it out, you know. Out there, that night. I figured out why you torture me so much…..well other than the fact that you secretly like me," McGee said with a wink, enjoying the cringe the remark got from his partner.

Tony leaned back into the couch with a wide smile. "Oh yeah, McSmartyPants, what reason is that?"

"You were making sure I could survive under fire"

Tony raised his eyebrows. "Wow, McGoo, that's pretty good….though not completely accurate."

"What?"

"You are in fact partially right. Those are two of the reasons but you're forgetting the most important of all."

"Really?" McGee was puzzled. "Why else?"

"Because it's fun." Tony said, putting his hands out as if that were the most logical conclusion in the world.

McGee smiled and turned to leave, pausing as Tony spoke again.

"You know I'm still gonna call you Probie and screw with you, right?" Tony said.

"Yep," McGee replied, stopping to look at his partner over his shoulder. "And you know that I'm not always going to just sit there and take it, right?"

The two men grinned at each other for a few moments. McGee started to leave once again and Tony called to him before he was fully out the door.

"Wouldn't have it any other way……Probie."

The End

_--------------------_

_So that's it folks, the end of this little adventure with Tony and McGee. Hope y'all liked it. _

_Don't forget to check out my blog (link on my profile page) for my reviews of both premieres of NCIS and NCIS:LA sometime tomorrow. Check it out now for reviews of the season premiere of Bones and the latest episode of Supernatural. _


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